


The Full Moon Diaries

by Kitsune_Heart



Series: The Living Universe [10]
Category: Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
Genre: Anal Sex, Blanket Permission, Blow Jobs, Cunnilingus, Erotica, F/M, First Time, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Podfic Welcome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-30
Updated: 2012-09-06
Packaged: 2017-11-04 14:00:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 51,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/394658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_Heart/pseuds/Kitsune_Heart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The companion piece to "Fowl Ties" and "The Living" universe in general. Contained within is the full events of Artemis and Holly's first night together, as well as many other nights beside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Too Much

**Author's Note:**

> Please note: This is a continuation of Chapter 6 of Fowl Ties, so you're kind of coming in during the middle of the action. Go read that first, and then you'll have at least an idea of what is going on (though you're going to be real confused over why Artemis is an elf, so maybe you should just read Fowl Shorts, then The Dead, the Broken, and the Living, and THEN Fowl Ties).

Artemis had seen Holly dance on two other occasions, but this...this was different. It wasn't dancing. It was a show. And the show was all for him.

Holly couldn't seem to stop touching herself. Her fingers buried themselves in her hair, then caressed her neck, drifting down to brush along the sides of her breasts, then flowed across her stomach and sides, snaking down her thighs as the woman sunk towards the ground, clawing along her legs as she rose. Her hips swayed constantly, but that wasn't the most hypnotizing part of the dance, even if Artemis _really_ did appreciate them. No, the truly captivating part was Holly's face. Artemis had never seen her look that way at anyone. Her eyes were soft and welcoming, but full of heat, catching his attention with slow winks and sultry half-lidding. No, not precisely welcoming...drawing. Bringing him into her power.

Artemis tried to keep a hold on himself. He really did. But when Holly swayed up to him and placed her hands on his chest, trailing them down until she played—almost idly—with his belt buckle, he could feel himself slipping. When she straddled his lap, lips brushing along the male's ear, and whispered "I know I've been a _real bad girl_ ," nipping at his earlobe, he decided it was best to just surrender, even if the song wasn't over.

"Holly," he implored, reaching up to catch her face and bring it in for a deep kiss.

He found his efforts thwarted by her own strong hands, which grabbed his wrists and pinned them to couch cushions next to his head. Holly slid closer, keeping her lips just out of reach. "Did you like it?" She asked, leaning in to nuzzle at his cheeks.

"Yes," he croaked, leaning into the small caresses, urging her to increase her attentions.

"It's true, you know," she tickled her tongue along the outline of one ear, triumphing as Artemis tried, rather ineffectually, to free his hands and get at her.

"What is?" Artemis suddenly realized why teenage boys favored loose jeans. Things were becoming quite uncomfortable in his tailored clothes.

"I am," Holly began, pausing a moment to bite Artemis's neck harshly, making him gasp, "very bad."

Artemis groaned, again trying to free himself, not at all certain he wanted to succeed. This was just too intense to be taken unrestrained and without protest. "I somehow doubt that."

"But I _am_!" Holly pouted, now nipping. "I do things on the first date that I really shouldn't."

The first date. They _were_ on the first date, right? Artemis was having a hard time remembering. If puberty had interfered with his thinking, it was _nothing_ to this. "What...what kinds of things?"

"Oh, it would be _so_ much easier to show you. Can I show you?"

What was the correct answer? Somewhere deep in the recesses of Artemis's mind, he was irritated at himself for not knowing already. Elsewhere, instincts took over and supplied him with "Oh, _gods_ , yes!"

Holly smiled and, though she was just as eager as her date, she moved slowly, letting him go and moving her hands until one played with the loose end of his belt, the other undoing his shirt button by button, pausing after every few releases to trail her nails across his exposed skin and brush her lips along the resulting goosebumps.

 _Finally_ , with only a little apprehension, Artemis let his hands stray out of propriety. One wrapped around Holly, sliding a bit up her shirt, though it remained more on her stomach and sides rather than anywhere she approved of. The other caressed her thighs, almost always rubbing along the outsides, but sometimes, with a rush that seemed both eager and terrified, tracing up the inside of a thigh before the inexperienced male grew too nervous and moved back to the outsides of her legs.

Holly wanted to protest or at least reassure him, but her mouth was fairly well occupied with his chest and neck, so she merely growled whenever he stopped. This didn't result in much progress, but she could work on that later.

Instead, she flipped open his belt buckle and began to work on the button of the slacks. This proved a lot more difficult, due to the rather...tense state of the material.

Artemis's hand came in to try and assist her, but Holly just slapped it aside, then grabbed his wrist and placed it back on her leg, this time _quite_ high up on her inner thigh. He went no higher, but it was enough for her...for now.

Holly finished unbuttoning Artemis's trousers and began to slide the zipper down, no longer kissing his chest, but instead looking at her coming prize.

She gave Artemis ample time to protest her progress, and he did not say anything (unless a long, throaty moan could count as "saying something") when she began to play with his boxers, dipping her fingers under the elastic and stroking along his waist. Before she lost her own self control and went too fast, she lifted her fingers back out and began to trace them through his few wisps of dark chest hair.

He was so... _pale_. It would have looked odd on any elf but Artemis, but Holly was too accustomed to this man to be shocked. He was just...Artemis. Her Arty.

She played with the last bit of hair on his chest proper before dragging her nails roughly down his stomach, eliciting small gasps with only a little pain in the notes. Finding her lips so often abandoned, Holly trailed kisses down his jawline, dwelling on the man's neck, brutalizing it with nips and sucking kisses.

"H-Holly," Artemis pleaded, letting his head fall back, surrendering to this unexpectedly rough treatment. Perhaps her aggressive nature should not have surprised him, but he had always imagined a sexual encounter with Holly—and he had to blush at that thought, well aware that he _had_ imagined this many times—to be more in his physical favor. Yet here he was, pinned down by the woman and otherwise immobilized by her wandering hand and focused mouth. He was enjoying every second of it, too.

Holly was also having a good time. The proud Artemis Fowl—who had so often held her in thrall—was now all but writhing under a few minutes of caressing. The sound of her moaned name made the elf purr in pride and contentment. All this, and her hand was still so _high_. Well, she couldn't let that continue for _too_ long...

Resting her fingertips on her new partner's stomach, Holly let her hand sink, following the path of his limited hair, grinning a little as the words "happy trail" popped into her head. It was a rather nice one, starting in a steep arrow just under his naval, widening to only two fingers-breadths before disappearing into his boxers, all the while a dark black to match his head, the individual strands close enough to make her briefly wonder if he had shaped it that tightly.

The brief wonder, rather than a longer musing, was due to the fact that, shortly after reaching this short trail, she moved on, finding the buttons in his boxers and popping them open with much less difficulty than she faced with the trousers. Her hand disappeared inside and very soon Holly held Artemis's pulsing erection.

"Oh, _gods_ ," Artemis moaned, trying to lift his hips into the touch, but found himself still pinned quite effectively by Holly's weight.

"Good?" Holly asked, wondering if she even needed an answer.

"I didn't expect... _yes_." He nodded vigorously and, for the first time, the hand caressing Holly's thigh went all the way up, emitting a little gasp from her as he felt at her through the thick denim between her legs.

She, at least, had the advantage of not being held down, and rocked her hips into his hand. Holly suddenly cursed the invention of pants. Certainly she hated dresses, but he would have so much more access to her if not blocked by the leggings.

Before Artemis could take the next logical step and attack Holly's own buttons and zipper, she gave a firm squeeze, obliterating his mind, or at least that was what was indicated by the sound he made. Deftly, she worked the man's erect member from his boxers.

At the same moment, both elves looked down at it. At first Artemis seemed surprised at the sudden appearance, as if he had never seen it before in his life. Then he flicked his eyes to look at Holly, searching for her reaction.

She was licking her lips, eyes wide.

He had to smile at that. "You approve?"

Slowly, fingers loose to avoid putting her new lover under too much sensation, Holly began to stroke her hand along him. "Hmmm...nice length. A bit thicker than average, I'd say. _Very_ smooth. I like that. And..." She squeezed, thrilling at the responding throb in her hand. "Quite hard. Yes...this will do the job."

"Oh?" Artemis said, trying to contain a little pant as Holly continued stroking, managing to copy her business-like tone. "What job is that?"

Holly leaned over, nipping at his ear. "Making me scream, of course."

"Oh...just...let me—" Artemis reached for the button on Holly's pants.

Before he could accomplish anything, she pushed his hand away. At his tortured look, she couldn't help but laugh. "Calm down. Not tonight, but..." She stroked faster, making his expression turn from utter disappointment to mindless pleasure with each caress. "I want to do something else."

Artemis clutched at Holly's side, barely keeping his nails from digging in and turning the hold painful. "What is this 'something else'?"

"Well...like I said, it will be _much_ easier if I showed you." She licked his parted lips with the very tip of her tongue, biting the lower lip at the end of the long tracing. "So...can I?"

Artemis nodded vigorously. "Yes! Whatever you want."

Whatever she wanted...Holly thought for a moment about taking advantage of that offer, but decided to be kind. So, instead, she slipped off Artemis's lap, trailing kisses down the man's neck as she sunk down to her knees, nestling herself between his legs.

Artemis watched her, wide-eyed, as she descended, his breaths becoming shallower as she went. Logically, he knew what was happening, but he was expecting to wake at the Manor any moment now, finding himself in desperate need of a change of sheets. It was only when Holly was completely kneeling before him and again took his erection in her hand, looking up at him with her two-toned eyes, that he decided that this must be real. No dream could be this perfect.

Holly continued stroking, considering the flesh she held. There were so many options. She could sink him completely into her mouth and make the mastermind lose control of himself in seconds, but it seemed so...unfair. She doubted Artemis had even acquiesced to a medical exam on the area, and she _certainly_ didn't think he'd been in this position before. Causing him to orgasm quickly may have been fun, but he would probably be embarrassed for weeks afterward. He was a smart boy, but he really held onto these slights for too long.

So, instead she caught Artemis's eyes, making sure she had his complete attention (as if anything else could be true) and leaned in, flattening out her tongue and licking from the base of his sex to the very top, tickling it with the tip of her tongue.

"D'arvit!" Artemis gasped, thrusting towards Holly's mouth at the first touch. He had expected something...intense, but this...he could probably finish with just the licking.

"Such a foul mouth," Holly commented, watching Artemis closely.

"It seemed app—aaaaah!"

Holly had waited for Artemis to speak, then promptly licked him again. This seemed to have finally obliterated his capacity for speech. Which was just as well. It's rather difficult to keep up a conversation when your mouth is full.

Holly continued with these long, very wet licks, treating Artemis's erection like a newly unwrapped popsicle. Perhaps not as cold or as sweet, but _much_ more fun to lick. Popsicles didn't moan as you ate them, after all, and they certainly didn't make sounds that seemed to resemble the word "please."

Holly had to approve of this. He was asking her so _nicely_ , after all. It was only fair to reinforce his good manners, right?

Taking a final lick, dragging it out as long as she could, Holly moved her mouth to the crown of Artemis's twitching cock and wrapped her wet, pliant lips around the tip.

The man's reaction was immediate. His hips took over, catching Holly unprepared with a thrust, slipping half of his length into the officer's warm mouth. Artemis gasped, clutching at the couch cushions. "H-Holly... _more_." His voice had a deep growl in it and he was obviously on the edge of taking over to make _sure_ there was more.

For a moment, Holly considered seeing what the man would do if she didn't continue. Then she took pity on him, deciding such a test was hardly fair. He needed this badly, and stopping now would be tantamount to torture. So she went on, sliding her mouth up his shaft (with him emitting a very sad-sounding whimper) and swirling her tongue around his crown. Making sure to hold his hips to prevent another takeover, she slowly moved her mouth back down, taking his member in by fractions until it nestled deep in her mouth, only a few finger's breadths unable to fit inside, and these she took hold of, squeezing gently.

"This is...perfection," Artemis groaned, caressing Holly's cheek, fascinated by the sight of her pleasuring him. Especially whenever she would look up and catch his eyes, the glint of mischief in hers saying that she was all too aware of how good it felt, and that she was enjoying being the cause. Her enthusiasm was just as arousing as the act itself.

Holly couldn't help but take his early approval as a challenge. After all, she hadn't really done that much, yet. So, first moving her tongue about, licking his arousal until it was slick, Holly began to bring her head back up.

Artemis looked truly alarmed. He moved his hand to the back of Holly's neck, not grabbing her, but stopping her ascent halfway.

Holly glared at him, annoyed, but he did not lessen the halting pressure. She wanted to yell at him for interfering in something she was quite capable of doing on her own, but decided it was only fair to be lenient this first time. She probably would have reacted the same way if she was young and in possession of an erection and a girlfriend. Making a note to teach him better in the future (when you lived for a good millennium and a half, bad habits could become _quite_ grating, especially in the bedroom), she began to take him in again.

The pressure on her neck immediately eased, becoming non-existent as she buried him deep in her mouth. When she began to take him out again, he let her go up a bit more, but only just. This pattern of limited sweeps continued for quite some time, Artemis's movements growing weaker with each long suck. Finally, Holly was able to hold him with just her lips, her tongue swirling about the extra-sensitive ridge.

"Holly..." Artemis groaned, and she looked up to find him still fascinated by the sight of the elf in such a delicate, formerly unthinkable position. "I...don't think I can hold on if you keep doing that." He sounded apologetic, a small, somewhat ashamed smile on his lips. He obviously wasn't sure how to proceed when this close to the end.

"Oh..." Holly lifted her head a little further, which seemed to ease her partner. "Thanks for the warning." She took the briefest second to savor the alarm on his face, then took Artemis's straining erection into her mouth again.

Now both of his hands went to her head. Not pushing or pulling, but needing to touch her and tangle in her short hair, hanging on. Delicious, inarticulate moans were almost the only sounds he could make, though they were interspersed with a few instances of "Holly," "please," "yes," and "so close," telling her exactly how he felt. Someday she would have to come back and get those into the correct order and make him give her an unrestrained plea for release, taking the former stoic Mud Man down the the level of any needy male...but, in the meantime, Holly only wanted to (as the saying goes) blow him away.

She didn't move fast or with a particular intensity, but the bobbing of her head and flicking of her tongue was unstoppable. She felt his hands tighten in her hair and allowed his hips to take light thrusts up to meet her. What little she couldn't take into her mouth, she held in one hand, moving along in the same slow rhythm.

Artemis suddenly stopped in the middle of a thrust, a low groan stuck in the back of his throat, coming out in keens and cries. Any more movement and it would be too much. He was going to...

Holly, however, did not stop. She kept up her pace and was rewarded with the splash of hot, bitter cum filling her mouth, some immediately trickling down her throat, with the rest quickly swallowed down.

Artemis was back to his limited string of words, now only able to come out with "Holly!" and "Yes!" over and over.

The woman was unsure which sounded better to her: his words of love or this uncontrolled proclamation of need and satisfaction. She decided she would have to try again to make sure. Not now, however. Now Artemis was too busy panting and swallowing down huge gulps of air.

Holly gave him a few final, cleaning licks on his still-twitching sex, then rose, sitting on his lap so she could wrap her arms around Artemis's neck and rest their foreheads together. "So..." she drawled, picking an imaginary piece of lint off his shirt. "Good?"

"It there _any_ way that can be bad?" Artemis gasped, pulling Holly close to his chest.

She considered this, taking her cell phone from her pocket. She tapped it against her lips, then flipped the device open, thumbs typing with impressive speed. "No. Not the way I do it."

"Oh...superb." He reached up, trying to tip the screen of the phone towards him. "Are you ... _texting_ someone about this?" He sounded understandably outraged and continued trying to see the screen.

"No," Holly assured him and pressed "send" before flipping the phone closed. "Just ordering a taxi."

"A...why?"

Holly yawned. "I'm too tired to drive you home."

"But...I thought..." Artemis shook his head, reordering his thoughts into a more efficient pattern. Oral sex ruined his logic...he would have to remember that...it he could remember anything with Holly on her knees before him. "Aren't we going to...you know. Have sex."

Holly snorted. "I really expected you to say something like 'engage in intercourse'."

"I'm trying to speak at your level," Artemis ventured to tease. "Do you want me to stick with 'screw' or 'fuck' next time?"

"Next time," Holly said, beginning to button up his shirt, " I don' think you'll need to ask.

"Well, that _is_ promising." Still, there was something unfinished here. Something deeply unfair. Artemis ran both hands up the insides of Holly's thighs. "Your turn, Miss Short." To make his point obvious—as if it could be anything _but—_ he began to unbutton her capris, already cursing her clothed state, but that could be remedied soon enough.

Holly gasped, losing her grip on the last button of Artemis's shirt as he snapped open her own button. She didn't lose her grip on everything however, and she was instantly off his lap, redoing her capris. "I appreciate the thought, really, and I _will_ take you up on that later, but we can't."

Artemis scowled, reaching out to the woman, who jumped back before he could grab her. "Why not?"

Holly tried to illustrate the cause and effect relationship by moving her hands in a circle, indicating the steps. "If you are going to go down on me, my pants have to come off, and if my pants come off, we are going to wind up having sex."

Artemis blinked. "I'm...really failing to see the problem."

For a moment, so did Holly. Then she closed her eyes tightly, restarting her brain, and said "Fairies don't have STDs."

"Well...that's good news."

"No. I mean yes! I mean..." She huffed in frustration. "We got rid of those centuries ago, and fairies are big on conserving resources, so...there is no such thing as—what do you humans call them? Ah, right—a 'condom' for fairies. We have chemical contraceptives. Which you are not on, and I am _not_ running that risk on just my birth control."

Artemis focused on this idea, thinking of his two-week's distant appointment. "If I _was_ on The Pill," he said, emphasizing the word to make the capitals clear (and to convey some of his unavoidable sarcasm), "then there would be nothing stopping you?"

Holly considered this, crossing one arm over her chest and biting her thumbnail. Eventually, she nodded. "Yeah."

Artemis grinned. "That is...spectacular. Can I come over once I have the medicine?"

Holly had to laugh at this. "Arty... _dinner_. Something else before the ravishing commences, please. Then we'll see."

Elated, Artemis nodded. "I'm going to hold you to that."

She couldn't resist. Holly gave the young, oh-so-eager and naïve boy a wink. "I'm hoping you'll hold me to a lot of things."

Artemis whimpered. As much as he hated to make such a weak noise, it was unavoidable. Holly was just... _too much_.


	2. Just the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a continuation of Fowl Ties chapter 11. It's best to read that first.

Artemis hesitated at the doorway. This was it. Three weeks of advances. Six years of dancing around their feelings. Nine years of getting to know each other, and it all came down to this. His first night together with Holly. Truly, intimately together.

Artemis suddenly found himself terrified at the idea. _This_ was _it_. All of the teasing made it more than obvious what would happen beyond that closed door, and both of them wanted it so badly, but that also meant there was no going back. Regardless of what happened in their relationship beyond this, they could never change what would happen tonight. Never be less than lovers. Did he really want that change already?

Oh. _Hell._ Yes.

Artemis opened the door and strode in as confidently as he could.

Holly's bedroom was small. Almost what would be expected of a crew-member's cabin aboard a cargo ship. The dimensions were only a little longer than the twin bed, though twice as wide. Holly kept a small trunk at the foot of the bed and a long shelf full of books and knick knacks circumnavigated the ceiling, but these were the only form of decoration. Even the bedsheets, which should have been the main source of character in the room, were a simple navy blue with a single pillow of the same shade, and there was neither headboard nor footboard

Artemis found that he didn't care about the lack of decoration. Although he really wouldn't have noticed if there was any, either. There were more important things in the room.

Holly waited at the head of the bed, holding the single pillow over her body. It covered her from chest to thigh, but there was no denying what could be found underneath, and her long, taut legs stretched out from under the rather ineffective covering, one flat on the floor and the other folded under her.

She squeezed the pillow tighter, acting embarrassed and nervous, though the unrelenting eagerness in her eyes marked her as anything but. "Hi."

"Hi," Artemis breathed back, taking the sight of her in slowly, eyes roving over her body. He had seen more _of_ her, but he had never seen her _in_ less.

She squirmed under his gaze, playing with the loose, open bottom of the pillow, the motion drawing Artemis's eyes to the meeting of her legs. The curling of her fingers was utterly suggestive, as if she were not playing with the pillow, but the region just beyond.

"Are you going to join me?" She had a certain feigned sadness in her tone. She was a master actress, when the situation called for it, and prompting a new lover was certainly a worthy cause.

Artemis nodded, but did not move. She looked too perfect for him to break in, even if it was to become a part of that perfection. So hesitant, yet so promising, hoping for him to come forward.

She squeezed the pillow tighter, swaying back and forth. "Well...I'm waiting."

After a few more seconds of hesitation, Artemis decided that she had been patient for long enough. He felt like he was in the middle of a dream or deep, warm water as he took the few steps to the bed, sitting within an easy arm's reach of Holly in the same position as the woman.

His hands drifted out, cupping Holly's cheeks. He leaned in for a long, soft kiss. Their mouths barely opened, giving just enough space for their lips to slip between each other, tongue only momentarily flicking out in a light embrace, never delving deep.

When they broke away, Artemis took one corner of the pillow and gave a small tug. Holly did not resist, and it slid out of her grasp. Artemis let it fall to the floor, already long forgotten.

He took her in slowly, eyes following every curve and sharp angle, lingering on her breasts and naval and pubis. Her mocha coloring wasn't the result of a tan, but extended over her entire body, with only slight lightening and darkening. She was muscled, but not overly so, the little fat she retained allowing her to look both soft to the touch as well as inherently dangerous to touch without permission. He knew parts of her were callused and scarred, but he seemed to forget these things, seeing her skin as uniformly smooth and warm. It was all so...perfect. There was no other word.

Licking his lips (which, had he been looking at Holly's face, he would have noticed caused her eyes to widen) he whispered to her. "You're beautiful."

She blushed, lowering her head a fraction. "Thank you."

Artemis tapped a forefinger under her chin, tilting it up and out of that small retreat. "Do not thank me for telling you the truth."

She smiled at this. "Noting your history of deception, maybe I should."

Artemis winced, but her obvious amusement soon eased his hurt at the reminder. "I suppose I deserve that," he conceded. Tentatively, he let his hand drift down, feeling Holly's heart under his fingers, hammering wildly. His fingers brushed the acorn necklace that had started this all, making the small ornament tinkle in its gold mesh. Then his hand went just a little lower to touch—

"No," Holly ordered, gently moving Artemis's hand back to his side.

Now the worries were back as he tried to determine what had gone wrong. Artemis preferred to go into things with as much knowledge as he could obtain, but there was something about this situation that defied all of his many ( _many_ ) hours of research. Perhaps for normal fairies or humans it would not be so hard, but there was too much history behind them for any normal tips to seem helpful. "I...I..." So _close_ , only to have done some minuscule, unidentifiable thing inappropriately.

"I just think it's unfair," Holly said, leaning forward and resting her hands on Artemis's thighs, getting close enough to brush her lips along his neck, "that you have the advantage of seeing me when I can't see you. I thought you were all for equality of the sexes."

Artemis swallowed and minutely nodded, thinking of those hands on his lap and where he wanted them to go. "Should I...?"

Holly shook her head. "No. I want to do this."

Pulse pounding in his ears, Artemis nodded again and waited.

She began with his tie, closely inspecting the knot. "I've never had to deal with these before. They're very annoying." One finger circle around the loops until she found the best path, undoing the tie with a few quick tugs, sending it to join the pillow on the floor.

She had a bit of trouble on the first button of his shirt, and Artemis tried to raise his hands to help her, but she quickly took them and put them on her waist, where Artemis was quite content to let them stay, his thumbs slowly tracing the dips between her muscles, making the woman's stomach clench with the light, tickling touch.

Holly worked through the buttons with no further interruptions, keeping the shirt folded over Artemis's chest through the sequence. When the last button was undone, she paused, savoring the moment. Then she ran her hands down Artemis's neck and across his shoulders, moving the shirt back in one long movement, slipping it off his chest, then shoulders and arms, tossing it to the floor, where the rest of his clothes were destined to go.

All of her movements were so slow and gentle, but Artemis could see the excitement in her eyes as she looked over his bare chest, her hands coming back to touch the places that her eyes had gone. Starting at his shoulders, she followed each line of bone and muscle. It was all so pale, and every little scratch from her nails brought out red trails on his skin. His stomach also twitched under her attention, though less from a tickle and more from merely being touched by her. Another place was twitching, as well, and it always caught her attention, though she did not reach for the movement.

She played with his naval, making them both smile. Then her hands went lower and all amusement was submerged by sudden anticipation.

Her fingers, already warmed up by the work on his shirt, were nimble, flipping the belt buckle open, then the button, and finally the long zipper was brought down. Her ease at first settled Artemis, but soon it brought up disturbing thoughts. Thoughts he had tried to avoid for weeks. She knew what she was doing...

Even as his mind began to race, Artemis stood, letting Holly hook her thumbs in the waist of his slacks and pull them down. He kicked off his shoes and socks, then the slacks, and settled back on the bed in front of Holly wearing nothing but a pair of red boxers that were doing nothing to hide the rest of his body from at least her imagination, if not her actual sight.

Holly ran her hands along Artemis's thighs, careful not to wander too high. Whenever she went far enough, his body responded with a strong twitch within the boxers, making her smirk. It was so very...tempting. Well, she wasn't going to be held back any longer.

Holly moved swiftly, swinging one leg over Artemis's lap and settling down, straddling him. His eyes went enormous at this, not even closing as she began to claim his mouth with her needy lips. She rocked her hips against his, making them both groan. Her hands roamed about Artemis's body, desperate to feel every bit of him, but soon her sensitive fingertips told her something she hadn't expected.

She broke off the kiss and, confusion evident in her words, said, "You're shaking."

Artemis seemed to become smaller as Holly revealed what he already knew too well. He avoided her eyes, breaths not so much coming out in pants as coming so quick as to nearly make him hyperventilate "I'm just...nervous."

Holly leaned back, unsure if she had heard correctly. "You're...nervous?"

He nodded, clenching at the bed-sheets until his knuckles began to pale even further from their ghostly shade. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but this is sort of a...big moment for humans. I'm worried more than nervous, I suppose."

Holly was having a hard time believing this. Certainly she knew that having sex for the first time was an important event for humans, just as it was for fairies, but for _Artemis_ to actually be concerned with something so... _normal_...

She did him the courtesy of backing off, sitting at his side, kicking her legs a little. "No worries, Artemis. I wont bite or anything." She smiled, showing off her teeth.

Artemis's eyes dipped down her body and he swallowed. "Please. Do _not_ joke about that. I have enough complexes as is."

Holly laughed, but Artemis's pained expression stopped her quickly. She brought a hand up, fanning her fingers over his cheek. "You're not _really_ worried about _that_...are you?"

"No. Of course not. Only..." He decided to just get it over with. Let her laugh, but it was better than hedging about the subject with nice terms. "I don't know what I'm doing."

Holly watched him, wondering if he was just voicing the concerns that he thought he should be having at the moment. It was so utterly...ridiculous, especially from smug, infinitely prepared Artemis. Then she realized he was not putting up his normal mask of smug indifference. He was _actually_ worried. Recognizing a tricky moment, she kept her voice low. "Surely you've... _read_ something?"

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Mechanics. There is a big difference between knowing how a race car works and driving one to the finish line."

"What a charming analogy," Holly mused. "Should I wave a checkered flag at the end?"

" _Holly!_ "

"All right, all right." She held her hands up. "Artemis...it's mostly instinct, really, and lovers are _supposed_ to teach each other how to do things properly."

"I'm not accustomed to going into a situation without adequate knowledge. It makes me...uncomfortable."

Holly knew he was not going to let this go. As much as they both needed each other, he also needed a lot of reassurance. Holly blew a few strands of hair from her forehead, not sure of what to do. Then she thought of something and smiled. "But you _do_ know something, Artemis."

He looked to her in eager expectation. "I do?"

She nodded, taking one of his hands from the sheets, holding it in her own. "It's something every gentleman learns."

His eyes begged her to go on, hoping that she wasn't just playing a game to ease him.

"If a lady needs assistance..." Holly said, taking his hand and moving it down her body until it fit between her legs, "you give her a hand."

Artemis looked down at his hand, still not entirely sure what to do. Certainly he knew the theory. And, in theory, theory was the same as practice, but...

Almost of their own accord, he ran his fingers along her pubis, brushing through her small patch of hair.

Holly took a quick, deep breath, tossing her head back. "Good...first step."

Artemis licked his lips, which had begun to twitch back towards his normal canine-filled smirk. Was it really that easy? Had she just reacted to such a minor caress? He moved his fingers further along, feeling the smooth, bare skin beyond. "Grooming?" He wanted to say something dashing, but that was the best she was getting.

Holly actually blushed. "I...a bit, yes."

"Really," he murmured, finding a slick area and coating the tip of a finger. "I didn't think you ever engaged in grooming beyond a shower."

She growled playfully. "Insulting me might be a bad idea, at the moment. I could tell you to leave."

"Hmmm..." He ran his wet finger up and down her pubis. "I somewhat doubt what I say really matters to you, right now. Could you pull yourself away from me?" Before she could respond, he pressed lightly, slipping his finger into her wet folds. Only down to the first joint, but that little bit continued the journey through her most sensitive areas.

"Yessss..." Holly hissed, then remembered the question. "No. Gods, Artemis, I _need_ you. Don't leave."

The words were so unrestrained, especially coming from the normally independent officer. Holly needed him, and who was Artemis to deny her? Still barely touching the hot, wet places between her legs, Artemis wrapped his other arm around Holly, bringing her close until her chest pressed against him and he claimed her lips. She gave them without hesitation, opening her mouth to his questing, conquering tongue. Normally she battled him, but now she surrendered to his advance, groaning as her mouth was explored and tickled, the latter being a skill he had acquired rather quickly on finding how raw and jumpy she could be. Thinking of this, she moaned further, imagining that nimble tongue delving where his finger was already working.

Moving carefully, Artemis turned them both from the side of the bed, leaning over until Holly's back met the sheets and he hovered over her. He soon developed a marked fondness for the position, which allowed him to kiss and caress and hold her close, even as he could rub his aching hardness against her hip. Yet relieving himself in that way was not what he had planned, so, quite reluctantly, Artemis let Holly's lips go, smirking at her disappointed whimper. She protested even more when the finger left, but soon subsided as Artemis kissed his way down her jaw and neck, finally stopping in the valley between her breasts.

He studied them. They were small from her many hours working out, but undeniably feminine. The dark skin was tipped with rosy nipples, the contrasting tones like little targets. Artemis had never possessed a phenomenal aim, but his thumbs easily hit their marks, brushing across both hard mounds.

"Artemis..." Holly whispered, arching her back in an attempt to gain another feather-light touch.

He was already well aware that such a place would respond, but Artemis found himself noting her reaction, already busy learning her body. He decided to explore the less sensitive parts of her breasts, determined to discover if he could elicit a similar response.

His thin, uncallused fingers moved in unison, starting at the curve leading down from her collarbone as it rose into the wondrous mounds. Holly's breath was a little fast as he touched there, but she made few noises. When his hands caressed the outside curves, she sighed, biting her lower lip, as if embarrassed as she looked down at him. He next tried the inside sweep of her breasts and found that Holly had returned to soft breathing, so she wasn't as sensitive there, it appeared. When he moved to the base of her bust, she took a quick breath that wasn't exactly a gasp, but which was accompanied by a small tremble that made her chest shake enticingly. Finally, Artemis returned to her nipples, again brushing them with his thumbs, then gently pinching.

Holly whimpered at this treatment of her pink buds, but did not protest beyond a small "please..."

Artemis moved down the bed, propping himself up on his elbows over Holly's chest, cupping her breasts and looking up past them to study her reactions.

Holly had her eyes half closed, body relaxing under his touch, yet still wanting to watch what he was doing to her. "You're a fast learner," she commented, more than willing to stroke his ego if he continued to stroke _her_.

He grinned, rising to the little challenge in her words. "It's one of my talents." Before they could get back to their normal banter and forget what they were here for, Artemis moved on.

He continued his circles from before, but now found himself forced to alternate between Holly's breasts, using his mouth on one while the other was attended to by his hand, then switching to mirror his attentions. First, he kissed them, right then left, with Holly sighing softly all the while, ending with a little groan as his lips touched her nipples. Then he tried small licks, continuing the circle pattern, with Holly squirming and laughing at the light touch, but stopping that and gasping when his tongue rapidly flicked across her at the end. Following that was gentle nips, and she shook during these, but not in pain, finishing with a delighted cry as he carefully nibbled her peaks.

He couldn't have hoped for better responses. This really _was_ easy. He just had to run the correct tests and take notes, like with any other thing he learned.

For his next experiment, Artemis took one of Holly's nipples between his thumb and forefinger, pinching and rolling. With his lips, he covered her other bud, sucking and flicking his tongue whenever he managed to get it between his teeth, nipping the small hardness as it left his mouth.

"A-Artemis!" Holly moaned, rolling her hips against his stomach, desperate for better contact. "I want you, please."

It thrilled him to his hot core to hear those words, but he wasn't ready. Artemis switched focus, alternating sides and working until Holly was crying out again. A complete success, and, if the wetness he could feel from her pubis was any indication, Holly truly was ready. Still...he wanted to try one more thing.

Artemis let her breasts go and Holly held out her arms, ready to welcome him back up. Instead, Artemis descended, mouth brushing her stomach, tongue dipping into her naval, and then moving beyond.

Holly's irises dilated. She suddenly found she didn't want him _quite_ yet. She had to know. Had to feel his tongue—already so well-proven elsewhere—moving between her legs. Not as hard or as large as what she wanted before the night was over, but so much more...nimble.

Artemis rested between Holly's thighs, matching what he saw there with what he had studied of anatomy. All quite standard, but...this was Holly Short. His...his lover. And thus, infinitely more precious and fascinating than any medical textbook could be. He hesitated in using his fingers in the exploration, but soon realized he would have to if he wanted to journey inward. So, very gently, he used his thumb and forefinger to part her folds, thrilling at the little gasps and thrust of hips from the woman. Again, such a _small_ touch...

He used the same methods just exercised on her breasts, though he thought better of nipping. First he kissed, beginning at the small patch of hair at the top of her slit, going into a circle around her mound, then starting a smaller circle on her outer lips, followed by the inner. When he reached the top of this final circle, Holly cried out, hips lifting to strengthen his touch.

Artemis took his head away, studying the spot. There was a small ball there, obviously the cause (or at least the purveyor, seeing as _he_ was technically the cause) of Holly's reaction. He suddenly understood why that part was referred to as a "pearl" in the romance novels he had referenced for his own writing. Small, round, shining, and (if Holly's reaction was any indication) a true treasure held within the most delicious of flesh.

He looked up and smirked. "So it _does_ exist."

Holly raised her head and—despite knowing what was going on—was shocked to see Artemis between her legs giving her such a lecherous look. "Of course it does. Do it again."

"Now, now," Artemis chided. "I have learning to do, and I will never learn _correctly_ if you interrupt me."

Holly whimpered, letting her head fall back. She reached both hands up and grabbed the top edge of the mattress, as if that could steady her. He was _learning?_ The slow exploration felt more like the best foreplay of her _life_. Dimly, she realized it was _because_ he was so slow and thorough. Rather than rushing through to get her adequately prepared for his own pleasures, the virgin boy was focused solely on discovering her own sweetest spots and the best touches for them. It was _maddening_.

Kissing done, Artemis moved on to light sucks. Nothing much happened on the first two circuits (though Holly was now groaning nonstop at his touch). In the third pass, on taking a section of her thin inner labia between his lips, Holly cried out, entire body going taut. Artemis did not relent, flicking his tongue across the bit he held, bringing out more cries. He tried the other side, to equal effect.

"Getting a little loud, love," Artemis noted, trying for her attention. "Wont your neighbors be shocked?"

She lifted her head, glaring at him. "They can go to _hell_ for all I care!"

"So ungenerous of you," Artemis commented, lifting a hand up to firmly grip Holly's hip. Then, with her full attention on his face, Artemis put his head back down and took Holly's clit between his lips, subjecting it to barely any pressure, but still sucking on it.

Instantly, Holly's neck lost all strength and her head fell back to the bed. She tried once again to lift her hips to the mouth of her lover, but was held down by his one-handed grip.

Feeling completely (if justifiably) smug, Artemis rapidly flicked his tongue across the major's clit while still holding it between his lips.

At this, her bucking increased in strength and Artemis lost his hold. He backed away, watching Holly writhe and slowly subside. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes, but he highly doubted that they resulted from pain or an overflow of emotion. She seemed to have merely lost control of her body entirely

"Artemis," she began, stopping a moment to lick her lips, which had dried out from all the gasping, " _please_. I want you _now_."

"I know," he replied casually, glad to feel the last of his performance fears melt away at the words. Really, what had he been worried over? This wasn't difficult at all. Simple, unrelenting touches in the right places and the little elf was an utter mess. Her body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, making her glisten in the dim light of the bedroom. The longer strands of hair at her temples were plastered to her forehead. Her entire body was just a little wet, except for her very core—the sweet, musky scent already calling him back—which was just short of dripping.

"Then _please_ —"

"Now, my elf," Artemis said in his most sensible voice, "there is _one more_ thing to try. Can't you wait for that?"

She squeezed the bed harder. "W-what?"

He lowered his head, feeling quite predatory. How else could he explain how satisfying it was to pounce on the defenseless woman? "I believe I haven't really used my tongue on you yet. I believe it is called 'licking your pussy,' am I correct?" He tilted his head to the side.

She gasped at the words, which—despite his casual way of saying them—still sounded so utterly forbidden and unfamiliar coming from Artemis Fowl. Before she could respond, she felt it: the first long stroke of his tongue going deep between her wet folds. "Oh, _gods!_ "

To keep her in place, Artemis grabbed Holly's hips with _both_ hands, exerting all his strength. It didn't actually keep her from moving, but did lessen the writhing and allowed him to move with her. He soldiered on, tongue moving in long sweeps that always fell just short of her sweetest spot. Her reactions were...exquisite. Especially when he dipped his tongue into her entrance and she cursed, beating her fists against the wall. He could feel the need rolling off of her, melding thickly with his own desire, heating the room until he also found himself sweating. He couldn't hold on much longer, but there was one final place to go.

He took his mouth away from her folds. "Tongues are rather pliant, you know."

"H-huh?" Holly choked out.

"Yes. I mean, there's a normal touch," he said, and then ran his tongue over Holly's clit.

She moaned without reserve.

"Or...flat and hard," he went on, forming his tongue into the shape and licking again.

She whimpered, twisting her hips.

"Ah, not as good, it seems." He smiled kissing her bud in apology. "See, this is why I have to learn."

"A-Artemis, I—"

"Perhaps flat, but soft," he went on, adding a third lick that moved her about gently, the broad blade of his tongue touching her all over.

Now she was back to moaning, a few tears falling.

"How about...pointy and hard?" He barely flicked at her pearl, but Holly responded with a delightful scream and heavy panting.

"Artemis, _please_ , I—"

"Or pointed, but soft," he broke in, flicking his tongue quickly and repeatedly up and down.

Cries were torn from Holly's throat with no regard for any proper language. She struggled with herself, longing for the coming release, but desperate to intervene. Shewanted something else. Something _more._ "Artemis, please! I want... _I need you!_ "

He froze, tongue perched on the topside of Holly's bud. He had never heard that tone before, but he recognized it instantly. Holly was close, yet she didn't want him to finish her off, which meant...

His heart began to race, and he could feel it in every muscle and deep down in his hard member. Doing his best to remain calm, Artemis sat up, sliding off the red boxers and letting his member free. It stood eagerly, guiding him up Holly's body until he held himself over her, their faces inches apart. His erection brushed against her welcoming entrance, producing another unrestrained moan from the woman. His arms began to shake and his breathing sped up, but he found that the air he was getting wasn't enough and white spots began to flash in front of his eyes.

'Oh no...' Artemis thought, trembling increasing. 'I'm going to pass out. Perfect.'

"Artemis..." Holly breathed, holding each syllable for an extra beat, savoring the feel of the word in her mouth and the feel of the body over her. She spread her legs wider, lifting her hips to urge him inside. When he did not move, she focused on her partner's face, though her eyes were still half closed, as if drowsy. She licked her lips again, smiling with complete happiness. "I love you."

Artemis's vision instantly cleared and his breathing eased a fraction. He looked down on Holly, whose soft eyes were so full of her desire and devotion. All for him. All he had ever hoped to see from her when her eyes were on him.

He swallowed down the last of his fears. "Holly, I...I love you, too."

Then, with only the slightest pressure, he began to move forward.

Holly parted before him easily. She was tight from so many years without a mate, making her wince for a few seconds, though her expression had cleared when he was still only partially inside, her body remembering the sensation of a male within her. She was wet beyond belief and so utterly warm, making his passage easy, her muscles massaging Artemis's entire length, taking in every small bump and curve.

Artemis was groaning before he was even halfway in, and he kept going, savoring each millimeter of penetration. It felt like this one slow thrust could go on forever, and he would have been happy to let it do so. When his groin nestled firmly against Holly's pubis, he stopped moving altogether.

His arms felt like every muscle and bone had been removed, so Artemis lowered himself to his forearms, glad to find that they retained enough strength to keep him from crushing the small woman under him. Their chests brushed together, the touch to Holly's nipples making her clench his sex buried so deep within her.

After a while of this pause, Holly squirmed, trying to move her hips, but found she had little freedom. She was so _close_ , but couldn't do anything about it. Really, this was why she preferred being on top. Just a little more movement and that would be it, she could feel it. "Artemis...we're not done yet."

He shook his head, hiding it in the curve of her neck. "If you make me go on just now, we will be. You feel...fantastic"

"Oh..." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his chest, tracing her fingernails up the overwhelmed man's back. Perhaps she couldn't make him move from her own strength, but a few well-placed words would likely be effective enough. "Just don't make me wait too long, love." She lifted her head, tracing her tongue up the curve of his ear before whispering, the breath from her voice chilling his skin. "I need to feel you cum inside me."

He growled at this, nipping her neck. "Dirty talks strikes me as counterproductive, at the moment."

"Actually..."

"You _know_ what I mean." Artemis took a great breath, letting it out in a long sigh.

Unbidden, his cock twitched.

Holly gasped at the unexpected movement, trying to rock against him to produce another twitch.

"Sorry," Artemis muttered.

"Just _go_ , Artemis," Holly begged, nails starting to dig into his back. "I can't take this anymore."

He didn't respond at first. Just before Holly would have repeated her orders, Artemis nodded. "Very well." Still going slow—though nowhere near as glacial as the virginity-shedding penetration—he pulled far back, accidentally slipping free entirely.

Holly whimpered at the loss, and Artemis had to agree with the sentiment. Not good. He didn't like not being inside her.

He thrust forward hard and fast, hilting himself in one movement.

Holly's eyes shot wide open and she cried out. "Ah!" It was certainly not a pained sound, and she went back to pleading whimpers when she lost the hardness between her legs as Artemis pulled out again.

He had wanted to go slow, but that one swift stab into her had made the thought disappear. Holly's approval made the idea of ever slowing seem preposterous. Artemis gritted his teeth, holding himself back as much as possible. He moved on instinct, filling his lover deep and then taking all out but his tip, leaving her empty and desperate

With each hard thrust, Holly let out another short "Ah!" Finally, with great effort, she cried out the full word: "Artemis!" And she couldn't stop saying it, wrapping her legs around his waist, moving her hips up to meet his, giving him a deeper angle. As she did this, he began to rub against something inside that made lights flash in her eyes. Already so high, Holly felt the pressure build even more. "A-Artemis!" She screamed, clutching him even closer, desperate for more of his skin against hers.

Then she was there, and she had to tell him, had to show Artemis what he had done to her and how he was making her feel. All she could come out with was: "I...I...Artemis, I'm cumming!" Then she couldn't think of anything more to say.

With an unstoppable rush, her body lost itself, flooding with feelings that made each brush on her skin a thrill, while the touches on her breasts radiated across her entire chest, warming her body. Her clit throbbed and her core squeezed around Artemis's sex, each of his rapid thrusts sending her crashing into another hard clenching that felt better than the last. She screamed his name over and over, the word making her tongue and lips burn with the same passion that was filling her entire body.

It was too much for Artemis. Already more than ready himself, the sound, sight, and feel of Holly losing herself in an orgasm that he had caused made a burning start deep in his gut and groin. With a suddenness that shocked him, he was at the crest, and then over, his cock jerking as he shot deep into his lover. "Holly!" He screamed back at her, shortening his thrusts, keeping himself deep inside, giving her every bit of his cum. Her muscles, clenching so hot and so fast, almost seemed to be milking him, drawing out further spurts and groans.

When he was empty, but still hard and throbbing, Artemis stopped his movements, breathing labored as he tried to to remember how to be rational and civilized. Holly was still massaging his length, but the squeezes came much further apart and she was now down to sighing, also getting back her air.

"That," she began, then took a gasping breath before starting over. "That was great, Artemis."

He chuckled, then had to heave in air to replace what he had lost in that little explosion "Thanks." Before his arms gave way entirely, he lowered his body onto hers, glad that she did not protest the pressure. He didn't think he could even roll off. In fact, the man was unsure if he even had the strength to pull out. Not that he wanted to. Even if he wasn't thrusting, it felt so good to just be inside his so-long-denied mate. "I suppose I succeeded?"

" _Oh_ yeah." Holly let her hands work on Artemis's back, taking out the soreness in his shoulders from propping himself up and the matching tenseness in his lower back from such rapid thrusting. "Very...impressive" She wrapped her arms around his back, holding her new lover close.

"I tend to be," he managed to get out before yawning. "S-sooooooorry."

Yawns are contagious, and Holly followed Artemis's bad example. "Don't woooooorry. It's...fine." It was still quite early, but he had worked her hard, leaving them both exhausted.

"A...little nap," Artemis suggested, nuzzling his head into her neck. "Then...we'll do it again."

Holly laughed, but it took the last of her strength. She closed her eyes, allowing her body to relax and drift. "Sure. It's just...the beginning."


	3. Promises Are For Keeping

Holly did not want to wake up. Perhaps some day, but that was a far-distant concept that should not be brought into proximity by an insistent whisper and a brisk shake of her shoulder.

"Nuuuuu..." She grumbled, draping an arm over her eyes. When the shake came again, she repeated "Nuuuu!" and struck at the air, limply impacting with a solid form.

"Ah!" The form cried, more in surprise than pain, it seemed, as it immediately came back, though the attempts to rouse the woman were gentler. "Holly...Holly, wake up."

Quite against her will, Holly consented, looking up at the recently disheveled hair and expectant face of Artemis Fowl II. She recalled why he was there and why he was specifically there _in her bed_ while she slept peacefully. She felt warm and loose all over her body, and the space between her legs had that wonderfully _present_ feeling that was lacking whenever it had not been used for a long period.

A mate. He was there as a mate, and, she had to admit, a rather impressive one, considering how little experience he had coming into the night and how unhinged she was by the end. Granted, some of this was due to her own years of involuntary celibacy and the last weeks of anticipation, but it still spoke highly of the man that he had managed to make her go past the brink as he lost his virginity, rather than shooting to an end himself within a few seconds of penetration.

"Morning," she murmured, and tried to roll over for some more sleep. She was exhausted. How could she feel so tired after being asleep all night? She slitted an eye to look at the clock on her bedside table, then frowned at what it told her. It was only an hour since they had fallen asleep. Hardly even a proper period for a nap! She growled low, grabbing at her blanket and trying to wrap it even tighter about her body.

"We've got to go," Artemis insisted, taking advantage of the woman's last few moments of clumsy slumber to yank the blanket away, pushing a different wadded ball of fabric to her chest. "Get dressed, don't worry about looking too presentable. We're just going to my house."

She stared at him before repeating "My house?" in a distant voice.

"Yes," Artemis replied, helping her slowness by removing the shirt from the pile he had given her, holding it out for donning "Just a quick drive. You can sleep on the way."

Holly considered this possibility and found it vaguely acceptable. If her lover (gods...he was her _lover_ , now...) was unable to sleep in someone else's living space, she would just have to get into the habit of visiting him for their rolls in the hay. It would be annoying, but that could one day be solved through the simple expediency of cohabitation.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Holly wondered if she began to think in a Fowl vocabulary when she was drowsy. Then her tired mind began to think about kangaroos, for some reason, and the bizarreness was forgotten.

The man seemed to have already dressed, and was looking unnaturally alert for a millionaire whose rest was being split in two. In fact, he was almost twitching with impatience, watching as Holly went from naked to shabbily dressed in twice the time it normally took her. When she slid into her tennis shoes, but had yet to tie them, he seemed to lose patience altogether, grabbing her hand and puling Holly from the bed, guiding her out of the apartment. He appeared to have gained a key (which puzzled Holly, as she hadn't yet given him one), and used it to lock up and continue the forceful escort down the schizophrenically numbered halls.

"No, it's fine, you won't be walking far. Just hold onto me so you don't fall, that's it." He spoke in the soothing voice of a lion tamer that has forgotten his whip, and it proved effective. Holly lolled her head onto Artemis's shoulder as they took the elevator down, and sat meekly in the passenger seat as he drove away from Haven Towers. She hadn't got much sleep the previous night, knowing what she had planned for Artemis's arrival, and her body was determined to catch up.

Somewhere around the second freeway interchange, done at top speed and resulting in several jarring honks from other drivers, she began to grow lucid. There was no reason that Artemis should have an issue sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Gods knew, he'd gone through a sleepover with Mulch Diggums, though it was under duress, so her flat should be a mansion, in comparison. He'd even napped at her place after a large dinner just a few weeks ago. He had nothing worth checking on at home ("Yet," she thought to herself, getting sudden fluffy ideas), and all the incentive to stay warm in bed with her all through the night, only waking whenever he summoned the energy for another shag. What in the world was he doing, dragging her across the cavern?

When Artemis pulled into his garage and they stepped out, Holly was quite steady on her feet, and using all of her Recon training to search for clues to Artemis's motive. There was one _big_ clue, she soon realized. Big and throbbing, barely contained by his slacks. It looked painful, and she decided to stop him then and there, so that she could throw the boy against the garage door and suck him off even before he could get them inside the house, licking off their combined juices before making him explode in her mouth. His aristocratic sensibilities would be horrified at doing that in such a space, but she imagined he'd get over it very quickly.

She was thrown off her plans when Artemis grabbed her hand again, dragging the woman through the door to the house proper and then on past the dining room and kitchen, exiting through the sliding door to the garden. He steered her away from the grass, following a cobblestone path along the side of the house until they came across a deep bowl of water nestled under the stairs that led up to the master bedroom. Here he stopped, let Holly's hand go, and began tearing off his shirt, swiftly moving on to his pants.

She looked at the water a second, frowning, and then back to her host. "Artemis?"

"Go on," he prompted, taking his pants and boxers off in the same move, cursing under his breath when he realized he had forgotten to remove his shoes. The loafers were lost within the sea of his clothes, tossed aside with no care to their eventual retrieval.

"On _what_?" Holly said, only cooperating enough to remove her own shoes, now-bare feet tapping lightly on the slate pond-surround.

Artemis had one foot already in the water when he turned to look at her, brows drawn in puzzlement to match her own. He gestured at the water, then at her, then the water again, to show that she was supposed to be already within. "Well...I mean...you promised."

"Promised _what?"_ Holly said, feeling her part in this conversation was getting a little repetitive.

"That we..." Artemis gestured at the pool again, flushing. "I mean...the second time."

Holly scowled, trying to make connections. "The second...oh!" She stood straight as she remembered. A promise from his first night owning this house, when she had to teach him about the People's bathing habits. Faced with his girlfriend in only a bikini and himself in only swim trunks (worn specifically to combat the situation that nearly occurred anyway), Artemis had tried to claim her that very moment, regardless of his lack of male birth control. In order to keep him from doing so, she had promised him that, while their first time wouldn't be here, he could certainly have sex with her for their second time while in the bathing pond. She had completely forgotten the promise, or had just assumed he would try it the next night, when they could stay at his house. Not force her into consciousness, tear across Haven like Death himself was on their heels, and practically dive into the water.

Instead, he was being quite literal in the interpretation. This was round two: bathing pond, ding!

She hung back, eying the man. He was showing the signs of a very bad sexual habit, and it was her job, as the older, more experienced lover, to stamp it out right now. And, well...besides, wasn't she supposed to be giving him elf lessons? Perhaps this wasn't _precisely_ what Fowl Sr. had in mind, but it was a skill set she considered invaluable.

"You," Holly said sternly, poking a finger at Artemis's bare chest, "are going too fast."

He leaned back, suddenly horrified. "I...too fast?" He swallowed. "Do elves only mate on...rare occasions?" By his look, he contemplated weeks of time between matings, and the thought terrified him. The fact that he had doubtless done many hours of research on the topic and come across no such statistics was lost on the man. Far too little blood was circulating in his head for him to think logically.

"No!" Holly said, laughing at his horror. "Not at all. I mean...you're naked."

Artemis looked down to confirm that he was, indeed, nude. Looking up again, he shrugged. "Yes?"

Laughing and shaking her head, Holly grabbed Artemis's shoulder, pulling him completely out of the water. "I know we've already done it once, but you still have to _seduce_ me!"

He looked, frankly, stunned at the idea. "Every time?"

The laughter turned strained as Holly tried to decide if he was being serious. When he just continued looking at her, she nodded. "Pretty much, yes."

"Oh." Artemis drew his brows, thinking. "Should I...get candles or something?"

Holly smacked her forehead. She'd heard this joke from someone once. Lili, most likely, given her poor record and sometimes fatalistic attitude towards her romantic (vs. sexual) future. According to a man, what is the difference between sex and romance? Candles.

She should have expected this, really. Artemis had never actually dated a woman, besides herself, and that had only been for a few weeks. He also wasn't the kind to indulge in romance movies, and especially not the kind that included multiple sex scenes. He may have watched porn (actually, she assumed he watched porn, and would have been shocked if Artemis gave her the grand total of times he had actually done so), but porn was not big on seduction, either.

She decided to speak plainly. "I mean...like...make me _want_ to have sex."

Artemis wilted. "You don't want to have sex?"

"Well, kind of!" In fact, she _really_ wanted to have sex, now that she thought of it. She wanted to be turned against the side of the house and taken from behind, swift and hard, in complete defiance of everything she thought about Artemis's impatient demeanor. She could feel herself flush at the images in her head, and took a deep, steadying breath. She was _not_ going to make this unduly easy. She had a duty to train her lover, or else she had to put up with a crappy performance for the next thousand and more years.

Before he could again try leading her back into the water, Holly held up her hand, covering his mouth so she could talk uninterrupted. She took a moment to think about what she was asking. What did she consider to be seductive? "Kissing. Touching. Undress me, touch me more...um...play with my ears.." She blushed at this, as it made a hot look cross Artemis's face, his attention focusing on the tender things. "Just...make me want it."

"I...okay." He reached up, taking Holly's hand from his mouth and bringing it away from his face as he stepped forward, standing before her on the slate. He did not take the hand far, turning it so that he could kiss the back, and then her fingertips. He looked to be in deep concentration as he moved on to kiss her palm, and then her wrist, trailing along and up her arm, until he came to her shoulder, where he barely grazed her skin with his teeth. Then further, to her neck, which he sucked and kissed and nipped, all very slowly and gently, making Holly close her eyes and lean her head away, giving him more skin to work on.

He came closer, pressing his body against hers, his hardness twitching between them with every small adjustment and brush. Its proximity to her entrance—which she realized was already wet enough to easily take him in, despite her words on seduction—seemed to evoke a simultaneous throb in her depths as she ached to join with him again. It just felt right, she realized. She had told former significant others that she loved them, and she had meant it, at the time. This, though...it was somehow...fuller. A more intense feeling; not just comfort and desire, but a completion. In her mind's eye, she could imagine nothing else but being with this elf for the rest of her life.

And, with her desire so stoked, most of what she imagined for the rest of their lives involved laying under him, taking his thrusts, unable to keep herself from saying his name over and over.

Unaware of what rapid progress he was making, Artemis followed the curve of his woman's jaw, going up to the shallow dip behind her ear, touching her lobe with his nose, making her breathe in sharply at the little jolt of pleasure. He brought on another by pinching it between his top and bottom incisors, almost as if he intended to pierce her, and then bringing it further into his mouth to suckle and lick, pressing with his lips.

"Oh, gods...Artemis..." She swallowed, licking her lips, and decided that, in order to keep herself standing, she needed to wrap her arms about his neck. Once there, she buried one hand in his hair, trying to press his face closer to her head and whimpering when he resisted. "Doing...so good."

He chuckled, drawing his tongue up the outside of her ear, then back down again, following each ridge, even thrusting the tip of his tongue into her ear canal, as if that was another hole to be fucked. Based on her reaction, it was almost as good as the proper hole, and he dwelled there a while before going back up and sucking on the tip of her ear.

That brought out her first full moan, and she followed it with several more. She could feel her panties soaking through, and was certain her jeans were also going to be quite damp by the time Artemis got around to removing them.

He perhaps had the same thought, as the man brought one hand down, tugging at the waist of her jeans until he managed to pop the button free, pulling the zipper down swiftly. He worked at her hips, moving the jeans off, and then down her legs, guiding Holly forward to step out of the garment, leaving it forgotten on the slate. Then he moved up to her shirt, grabbing the hem and pulling it up until he was forced to leave off the ear-play to tear the top off, also dropping it to the floor.

Artemis had not seen fit to give his lover a bra for the drive over, and her breasts now hung free, the nipples hard and almost painful, a bright pink to contrast with her brown skin. He looked down at them, making a sound of approval. Holly realized, with a flush, that that sound was "mmmm" when he licked his lips, lowering his head to take one nipple into his mouth, treating it just as he had treated her ears, supporting the mound with one hand, the other treating her opposite breast as similarly as he could manage.

"Oh, fuck...Artemis..." Holly found herself saying, though her mind had not prompted the words. She wondered briefly on reflexes. Like tapping below the knee and making the leg twitch, because of some little bundle of nerves that automated the response even before it came to the brain. Perhaps there were some similar bundles across her body—in her breasts, her ears, her desperate pussy—that would force out a cry when touched properly. How fitting, she decided, that something in her would be pre-programmed to call out this man's name.

He seemed to approve of her words, moving his erect penis to slide between her legs, rubbing against her panty-covered vulva. It did not come into direct contact with her clitoris, but she could feel a little burn as the skin nearby was moved by his thrusts, awakening the wonderful nub.

Gods _damn_ , he was a fast learner. With his cock moving across the red satin of her side-tie thong and his tongue flicking over her pink buds, moving back and forth to keep either from being neglected, Holly was now panting as well as moaning, moving her hips to meet his cock, wanting it inside her. _Needing_ it inside her. "A-Artemis...please. I'm ready now. _Now_."

He stopped licking at her breasts, though he continued with careful squeezes and brushing, more playing with them for their novelty than trying to bring her pleasure, though he did that as well. He studied his lover's face, feeling something in him (pride, he realized) grow at her lidded, confused eyes and reddened cheeks. "Well, well...I didn't even kiss you, yet."

Holly growled at the teasing, using the hand she still had buried in his hair to pull Artemis's face to hers, devouring his mouth. She fucked his mouth with her tongue, making him pull back for a moment before growling and thrusting his own tongue back, fighting hers off and asserting dominance. He took his hands from the woman's breasts, grabbing her hips and pulling him to her several times to make his thrusts harder, bringing a moan from her mouth to meet one from his own. When he was satisfied that he had taught her who had control, his fingers began scrabbling at the thong. He undid the ties, pulling his cock free to let the flimsy undergarment fall to the ground.

Holly tried to reclaim the thrusts and take him inside, but Artemis stepped away, towards the bathing pond, pulling his mate along behind. She came without protest this time, gasping when the cool—though not cold, luckily—water came up past her mound and then her breasts, making her nipples go hard not only from desire, but also the shock of the temperature.

Artemis gathered Holly to his chest, her breasts squeezing against him, flattened by the pressure, a little chute of water forming between them, rising and falling a few moments out of time to their rise and fall in the water. He looked at this a moment, fascinated by the spread of water over his lover's skin, but he could not be distracted for long. He ran his hands along Holly's legs, edging them towards his back. He would have no problems with requesting what he wanted, but the proper words were difficult to work out when he was so _close_.

She soon understood and complied, wrapping her legs around his hips, her arms about his neck. Aided by the water, Artemis held Holly up, hands cupping her buttocks. He thrust his hips, cock brushing along her ass and threatening to penetrate her there before he became aligned and hilted himself in one quick thrust.

"Artemis!" Holly called again, again without thinking of it, almost shocked by the penetration. He had been inside her already that night, and she had adjusted to him, but the few hours since had made her go partially back to her tight state, and it burned for just a moment before she adjusted to his cock. Then she purred, locking eyes with the male. "It's...good."

He nodded. The very tips of his hair had gotten wet when he entered the water and were now clinging about his face. "Do you..want more?" He panted, grinning, sure of the answer.

" _Hard,"_ she whined, making Artemis groan.

He complied readily. He lifted her hips, pulling out to his tip before ramming back in, making the water around them slosh loudly. "FUCK, yes!" He called out, tucking his face into Holly's neck, biting.

" _Harder,_ " she ordered, yelping as he did his very best to do as she said. She brought her own strength into it on the next thrust, moving back against him, forcing his cock in deep.

The thrusts had to come far between, as Artemis panted and trembled at the end of each, obviously already on the edge from the deep, rough penetration. He was a very fast-learning lover, and likely had some natural skills (was there _anything_ he didn't have a natural skill at?), but he was still just recently no longer a virgin, and that meant his stamina had not been developed. He at least had the self-control to notice that he was close and hold back, to help with satisfying his lover, but knew he would eventually lose the battle. If he did so before Holly was satisfied, he would be mortified.

After a good two dozen of these wild thrusts, he misaligned himself on the return, sliding out of Holly's pussy, cock coming up between them. He growled in frustration at the missed opportunity, but soon stopped the sound as he saw Holly's reaction.

She had gasped, as usual, but this one was shriller, and her head had fallen back. Her hips continued to move in tiny jerks, and Artemis soon realized that his miss had resulted in the length of his cock sliding across her neglected clitoris. She had appreciated the fucking, but now she was taking advantage of the contact, the little movements stimulating her nub, making her take in a tiny, sharp breath with every caress.

Artemis smiled, bringing his head down to catch Holly's lips. He could feel her reaction there every time she got a little bit of pleasure. He began to work with her, jerking his hips a few small inches, rubbing the underside of his length across her needful nub. She began to bite his lower lip, unable to control herself. While he longed to be back inside, Artemis held off. The rubbing was pleasurable, but he could keep his orgasm in check this way, and Holly seemed to be getting closer.

And, indeed, she was. Soon, she couldn't even keep in control enough for biting, and began to moan and move her hips faster, pressing her lips to his whenever she wasn't making some sound of pleasure, always having to break off after a few seconds to let out her feelings. Very soon, she could feel it. Burning, sending her higher, making her head spin and blur and disappear. "A-Artemis, I'm...I'm..."

"Cum for me!" Artemis ordered, crushing his lips to Holly's and pulling back, aligning himself before he jabbed back inside, deep and hard like she demanded.

She squealed against his lips, almost fighting him, wanting back that amazing rub against her pearl, but with the next jab, she gasped, pulling back with him and crashing her hips to his for the third. It was better. So much better, so much hotter, making her feel it everywhere, even her clitoris, which bumped against Artemis's hipbone, jolting her. And, a thrust later, she followed his orders, crashing over the edge, her pussy clamping down tight on his thrusting cock, squeezing it, making it fit into her perfectly, almost sucking on him.

Artemis growled back when he heard Holly's squeal. He moaned when she met him, and stopped breathing as she began to massage his length, making each thrust so much tighter, so much harder to accomplish, and so good, so fucking good, he did it faster, harder, deeper, until he suddenly joined her and exploded with what felt like no warning, no sudden haze of initial orgasm, just cum spreading into his lover, entering her pussy, sliding into her womb, pushed along by every thrust. He lost control, his fingers digging into her ass, making every move more violent, and Holly never complained.

He wanted it to go on forever, but that, he decided, is what Heaven would be like. He eventually came down, breathing harshly, legs trembling despite the gravity-defying properties of water. Holly was twitching in his arms, the last of her orgasm occasionally touching her core, pussy taking a few squeezes every minute. She was breathing just as hard as he, and that made Artemis feel a bit less awkward as he staggered to the side of the pond, setting Holly on the steps before sitting beside her, leaning back and resting his head well out of the water, his legs still inside and drifting about with the current.

Still panting, Holly looked to the side so she could study her lover, her breasts jiggling with each breath. She smiled when she saw he had closed his eyes and was gasping like the proverbial fish out of water. "Is this your workout, today?"

Eventually, he looked back to her and nodded. To Holly's surprised, he looked ashamed. She briefly wondered if he had planned to hold out for her to have a second orgasm, but then he spoke.

"Can I go back to sleep?" He wheezed, eyes already drooping.

She laughed and nodded. Getting to her knees, she pushed on the man's chest to urge him further out of water. "Bed. Bed is better."

He groaned. "I don't think I can move..."

"If we move to the bed now," Holly said reasonably, "we wont have to move there later if you want another go."

Slowly, Artemis grinned, and he obligingly flopped to his knees and stood, wobbling so much that Holly had to grab his wrist to keep him from toppling backwards into the water. It was with much difficulty that they made it inside and into the bedroom, flopping onto the covers while they were still soaking wet. It only took a second for them to fall back to sleep, but Holly took those few seconds to turn on her side, sidling up to Artemis's back, wrapping an arm about his waist.

"Mine," she murmured. And then she was gone.


	4. Runcible Spooning

Some hours later, very gradually, Holly woke up again. At first, she wasn't even completely aware that she was awake. She felt too good for consciousness. It must be a dream. Her body was sated—more sated than she had felt in years—and clean and warm. Surely, truly, the best dream possible.

Then she heard a typically sarcastic voice right near her head. "Aren't you supposed to be the little spoon?"

Holly opened her eyes, quickly drawing back from the swath of black in her vision. She blinked, analyzing the material, before she smiled and remembered that it was hair. "Artemis, are you serious?"

"Am I ever _not_ serious?" he asked, rising to his elbow, twisting his back to look at his lover. She held him tightly about the waist, her curves matching his, in what he seemed to think was an usurpation of his rightful position. "Turn around," he demanded.

When she raised her brows in defiance, Artemis took Holly's hand away from his waist, giving her shoulder an insistent shove. "Turn over, Holly."

"Fine, fine, if you want," she said snootily, flipping onto her left side.

Artemis immediately copied her earlier pose, wrapping an arm about her waist and molding to her. He seemed at a loss for what to do with his left arm, initially trying to put that under the woman's body, but soon finding her bony form an uncomfortable pressure. Then he lay it between them, down the length of her body, but that put his shoulder out of alignment. Finally, he raised it above them, resting his head on the curve it made over them both. He wriggled a moment, testing the arrangement, and nodded. "Acceptable."

Holly rolled her eyes and then closed them. Overly-dignified, pompous bastard.

Artemis sighed into her short hair, and Holly could feel the twitch of his lips against her neck.

Then she felt a different twitch. In a very different area.

Holly opened her eyes again, gasping. "Artemis?"

"You are just...too tempting, my love." He proved his point by grinding his hips against her ass, his half-hard member begging to be noticed. And noticed it was.

"Again?" She said, incredulous. Shed' gone twice in a night before, but three? That was truly rare for a man.

Then, she recalled, Artemis _was_ a young man, for a human (or former human), and he had just lost his virginity after weeks of teasing. Three was probably to be expected. At least this time she wasn't tired.

That tapping coincided with his every strong heartbeat, bringing a further swell each time, until Artemis was hard and ready behind her.

He had not forgotten his lessons on pleasure and seduction, it seemed, as he did not immediately thrust inside, for which Holly was eternally thankful. It would have hurt like hell. He began by taking his hand away from from her waist, doing it slowly, trailing his fingers along her hipbone. Then he began to stroke her side, gently, carefully, going as far down on her thigh as he could reach, then up to her shoulder. While his motions were cajoling, his words were less so. "I'm going to take you, Holly," he whispered into her ear, and she could just imagine his teeth flashing in the dim bedroom.

She was mid-eyeroll at the somewhat delicate wording when he tried another of his recently acquired seduction techniques, licking along the ridge of her ear. She breathed in quickly, but softly, so much that they both barely heard the intake.

Artemis, though, was attuned, looking for any signs of approval, and he chuckled at this one. He settled on improvisation, this time, not delving into the cone of Holly's ear, but moving back, to the mostly hidden curve where her ear met her head, and the bit of flesh around it, dipping to follow the curve of her skull. Whenever he brought his hand up towards her chest, he felt for the flutter of her heart, and did find it beating faster over time. However, it was nowhere near as rapid as he had hoped, and he determined that this area—while pleasurable—did not have the same intense grouping of nerve endings as her lobe, canal, and tip. So, this discovered, he went for the more effective spots, and was soon pleased with her progress.

Holly was nowhere near as analytical about sex, and she merely allowed herself to feel. Goosebumps rose on her flesh on the periphery of Artemis's touch, and she could already find herself agreeing with the man: round three could be nice, if done correctly. And when was the last time Artemis did anything incorrectly? She found herself parting her legs just a fraction, rolling back against him, trying to slip his erection inside.

"Ah ah," Artemis chided, pressing his hand to her thigh, forcing her legs closed. "Soon, love, soon."

She whimpered, but did not try again, allowing him the opportunity to continue his work. If he was going to enjoy foreplay, then she was not going to invite a negative connotation to the act by refusing him. Even if she was already going insane.

He went back to the stroking, but just for one upward movement. Then he went across her body, cupping one breast in his hand. It wasn't large, but it fit so perfectly that he did not care. Whatever Holly's cup size, that was the proper size for a woman.

He also knew there was variation in nipples. Some were long, almost seeming to dangle. Some seemingly not there, blending into the skin unless treated properly. He had even looked with some interest on medical texts that displayed rare inverted nipples. Holly's, however, were what some would consider "standard" on a woman. Her breasts were surmounted by a switch in color, brown to tender pink, and then topped off with tiny buds that were somewhat defined when she was not aroused, soon rising when caressed, the little shape begging to be touched and tickled and drawn into the mouth.

Artemis could not use his mouth from this position, but he pinched on Holly's rose, rolling it between his finger. He tested her, going a little further each time in a slow twist, until she whined low in her throat, shaking her head in protest. Then he pinched, a little harder each time, stopping when he got the same reaction, and moved on to little tugs. By the end, he had memorized her limits, and went to the very edge of them, and soon Holly was moaning, and requesting, in little, almost unintelligible gasps, that he surpass them.

To her almost unappeaseable rage, he did not follow instructions. Artemis was only saved from Holly's wrath as his hand left her breasts and sunk down, dipping into her navel before brushing the hair along her mound.

"Spread your legs," Artemis commanded huskily. He was finding such restraint difficult, when he knew she must be sufficiently wet for him. It would be so simple to take his pleasures now, and worry about satisfying her later. When she followed his order without protest, spreading her leg and moving her hips to try and bring them up to his fingers, he almost gave in to his own lusts, but restrained himself with a rough bite on her neck. She was so willing, and all his. All he wanted was to take her again.

Instead, he traced along her pubis, going into the crease of her legs and hips, past her lips and towards her tight asshole (he could feel her tense up at this, and he almost bit her again, considering how easy it would be to thrust in there, but deciding tonight was not the night to test that forbidden water), and then up again to her labia. These he parted, very carefully, trying, for once, to limit her pleasure. It was not terribly effective, but he kept her from crying out as he spread her fully, exposing her dripping hole to the cool night air.

"Please," Holly begged, then bit her lip. She hadn't wanted to say something like that, but he brought it out of her without warning.

"Quiet, my love," Artemis said, using his middle finger to touch most delicately at the hole. He could feel its wetness, and he took some of this away, rubbing it against his index finger before going for a second dip—never entering—and coating again. Within a few repetitions, his fingers were slick, and Holly was twisting, trying to get him inside.

He considered ordering her to hold still, on pain of not receiving the pleasure she so obviously needed, in lieu of one of those amazing blow-jobs he knew she was capable of. However, he was not cruel, and Artemis just waited for her to finish her writhing, and then eased both fingers inside.

Holly let out a long breath as she was entered. It was only two fingers, but she had already been used enough that night to make even those feel wonderful. She closed her eyes, breathing steadily as she enjoyed the manipulation, letting out the occasional soft sigh, accompanied by a jerk of her hips.

Artemis fingered her slowly, nuzzling and kissing her neck as he did so, smiling at her every soft sigh. She had already been brought to the peak twice that night, and perhaps this would be an unsuccessful venture, but she was obviously still getting pleasure from the stroking. There was something so completely entrancing about the sounds she made and the way her body moved whenever his fingers were at their deepest. Not a writhing, but a small tremor that accompanied a softly exhaled breath. She was wet when he began, but now her juices flowed faster, coating his hand, and an idea came to him, making him growl and move against her.

Holly turned her head a quarter, trying to meet his gaze, but not quite having the strength to finish the turn. "Whaaaaat?" she asked, the question turning to a sigh midway as the fingers twisted, hitting that bundle of nerves at the front of her tunnel.

If he overstepped the limits of Holly's sexual desires, then the chances that this would continue were fairly close to zero. Logically, he should banish the idea from his mind and simply enjoy another brisk round of coitus. Yet, once thought, the notion was viral. Artemis removed his fingers from Holly, taking one false start when she whimpered, plunging them back in to satisfy her need to be filled. Then he succeeded in moving away, bringing his hand up her body, careful to only touch her with pinky and ring finger, clumsily pinching one nipple in passing.

His hand reached Holly's head, and he paused, breathing shallowly as he lifted his body up so he could see her face.

She looked at the hand, brows drawn, frowning. Holly did not move.

"Taste yourself," Artemis whispered.

She breathed in sharply, the confusion banished in a moment of wide-eyed shock. She suddenly seemed unable to look away from the slick fingers, and the almost overpowering scent of her own womanhood filled her senses. She had, of course, done this before, in a sort of experimental way, as a young woman. Before she had first accepted oral sex, she had been terrified that something might be wrong with her body chemistry. She had sampled and found it...odd? Odd, and not something she'd use to flavor a meal, but acceptable.

This was quite a bit different. This was not a nervous lick, but two fingers covered in herself, and still mixed with Artemis's own seed. She swallowed, staring, unsure if she wanted to do such a thing, since it would bring her no pleasure.

There was a tense silence.

Artemis's throat was dry as he rasped out, "Please."

Holly waited only a few more seconds. Then she opened her mouth and leaned forward. Her tongue came out slowly, carefully, and took one long lick along Artemis's middle finger.

At her back, she could feel him groan, and he spoke in a manner that was almost incoherent, for Artemis. "So. _..hot.._.Holly."

And so very easy, she realized with a grin. Men had some of the weirdest kinks, to be sure. She tilted her head to get a sideways angle on the fingers, trying to wrap her tongue around one as she slid it up and down the long, thin digit, thoroughly cleaning it of herself. It was clumsy, and soon Holly opted for the most simple solution.

Parting her lips carefully, she encircled Artemis's fingers, drawing them into her mouth until they nudged at the back of her throat She moaned theatrically, tongue moving within her mouth to lathe across every knuckle and fingernail, going into each little ridge to bring away her taste. In all, she concluded, it wasn't that bad.

And the reward for services rendered was phenomenal. Hovering above her, Artemis watched, mouth open in a high degree of shock. While he had directed the woman to perform this act, a large part of him expected her to refuse and fight free. Their first time in Holly's apartment and then their tryst in the pond had been romance, of a sort. This, however, was far from tender. It was raw and completely sexual, and only for him. He recalled the time so long ago that she had sucked on his fingers to get rid of a tinge of poison, and he'd had a somewhat similar physical reaction to the sight, but it was only the smallest degree of response, compared to this moment, when she repeated the act so deliberately, almost obscenely, moaning to stimulate him, working her tongue over and over until she licked away every trace of taste, and still kept fellating his digits.

He couldn't take it. Artemis knew Holly was teasing him with this display, but that did not mean he could tolerate such a show. He was still nude from their less-than-cleansing dip in the pond, so he slightly adjusted his hips, his erection sliding free from between their bodies to run across Holly's wet slit, making her squeak and then close her eyes, moaning again about his fingers. Concentrating, the man aligned himself until his tip rested on the woman's wetness, and he began to push in.

He groaned aloud, ignoring the smug look on Holly's face in favor of sliding deeper into her. It was slightly more difficult to do so in this position, where every dry bit of his cock seemed to catch on her skin, forcing him to pull back out and thrust in again to spread the wetness. His progress was slow, but still somehow perfect. He felt just a little bit more of that hot, tight hole enveloping him every second, and each time he was sure this would be the one that finally brought him in to the hilt, as he could surely have no length left after all those thrusts. When he did finally reach the end, his pelvis tight against Holly's ass, it was almost a shock. Realizing he was breathing improperly, he took a moment to rest, letting his eyes travel down his mate's body.

Her sucking was less enthusiastic now, though more because she was distracted by the feeling of being penetrated than a loss of interest. She pushed back on him, her spine molding into Artemis's chest, barely licking his fingertips while she panted. Her breasts were pressed together at this angle, and Artemis found himself moving his hand to slide his fingers between, judging the softness of the skin and the loose pressure placed around his digits. He would have to try those, soon. The nipples were hard and Artemis tweaked them, making Holly gasp and roll her hips, gaining only scant friction.

Laughing, he moved down, caressing her flat stomach, playing with the dip of her navel. _Not much to do there_ , he thought, though he found the round concavity amusing. Then he went over the small ponch of organ-shielding fat just below, where Holly became soft again. Then on down to her well-groomed pubis, brushing the tiny swath of groomed hair, somehow surprised when Holly shivered and whispered something

"Artemis...right there..."

He raised a brow at this, looking down at his fingers running over her mons. "No," he returned. "Right... _there._ " Pressing, his index finger slipped between her lips and brushed over Holly's clitoris.

"Y-yes!" She responded immediately, moving her hips to force another wet touch, whimpering at the sensation. She needn't have tried, as Artemis rewarded her initial reaction, barely twitching his finger so that he rubbed at her clit. "Nnnn...yeah," Holly affirmed, blushing at her reaction. Twice already tonight she had orgasmed, and she had been certain that was the end, given her partner's inexperience. Now she suddenly had no doubt that he would bring out a third with this touch.

Artemis brought a second finger into the caress, parting the digits so the small nub slid between then, stimulated on the sides, instead of directly on the head. Based on Holly's reaction, this was actually less pleasurable, but he decided to make up for the deficit by drawing his cock out slowly, reminding her of it's presence before thrusting back in at the same pace. His fingers rubbed at a double pace to his thrusts, and that seemed to be the perfect metronome of pleasure, as Holly was soon gasping with each filling, moving her hips back to meet his and force him in that little bit deeper. Defying consistency, Artemis occasionally went back to rubbing at the head of her swollen clit, which brought out fulls moans.

She seemed to run on instinct, and at first clutched at the blankets, mouth open as she breathed hard. When the sensations grew beyond her control, Artemis watched in fascination as Holly moved one hand to caress her breasts, the simple addition to the sights somehow making the experience at least three times as mind-numbing to the young man. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he analyzed her movements to learn possible ways to bring her pleasure in the future, but mostly he watched as she ran smooth hands across soft, giving skin, bringing her fingers up to wrap her tongue around the tips before lowering them again to rub and pinch her nipples.

The moment was too much for Artemis. In a sudden, shocking rush, he felt his balls tightening and knew there was less than a minute until it was all over, Holly left unsatisfied, but so obviously close. That was unacceptable. He wanted to feel her orgasm on his cock, not on his fingers, and he wanted their finishing cries to meld together, unintelligable but completely matching. Growling, Artemis stopped his simple play with Holly's clit, moving one finger up to rub furiously at the head of the nub, the other remaining on the side for that modicum of additional stimulation.

Her reaction was immediate. "A-Artemis!" Holly cried, shooting her hand down to join with his, rubbing at the rest of her pubis, whimpering as she touched the slick line where his cock melded into her body, tracing it to feel him sliding in and out, his tempo increasing erratically. Her other hand replaced the first, rubbing at her breasts, squeezing them with more force than she would have put up with from her lover, the intensity made bearable by her complete knowledge of her own limits.

Artemis saw her mouth open with moans and could not resist, bringing the arm that had been laying useless above them down until it curved under her neck and he slid his fingers inside. She yelped, at first, then suctioned her lips about the intruding fingers, sliding frantically on this false cock.

It was too much. Artemis's orgasm hit, whiting out his mind until only the three most basic functions remained: heartbeat, breath, _fuck_. He stayed deep within his mate, hips jerking only enough to remove a little of his length before thrusting back in, jetting his seed as deep into her as he could manage. A seeming eternity later, he had begun to drift back down from the orgasm and felt his heart sink as he realized Holly had not yet finished, when suddenly she went rigid.

Then she was moving, moaning, unable to keep sucking on his fingers, only rubbing her breasts and pussy, hips rolling to slide frantically on Artemis's cock. At the very edge of his vision, Artemis saw her toes curl, and he laughed, previously certain that was a figure of speech from the most sordid romance novels he had gone through for research, and suddenly glad it wasn't. He could feel her tight around him, and he almost began to wonder if he would grow hard again at the sight of it all.

Then Holly began to slow, moans disappearing as she began to suck in breath to bolster her severely depleted reserves. She smiled for a moment, and then seemed to freeze, color rising to her cheeks.

Turning, she looked up at Artemis's face, finding it rather close to her own, and watching her avidly. She grew redder. "I...I'm not normally like that," she squeaked, taking her hands away from her body, folding them together and resting them above her navel.

Artemis rolled his eyes at the reaction. "Do not _even_ pretend, dear one," he chided, kissing her forehead. "You looked amazing. I'd rather like to see that again."

Holly looked down her body to where they were still joined together. "What, now?"

"No," he replied, almost reluctant, bringing his hips back to slip his softening member free, shivering at the sudden rush of cold where there had once been delicious heat. "I do not believe myself capable, at the moment. I have other things in mind."

She yawned. "Sleep?"

"No," he said again. "I was more thinking—"

Artemis found himself interrupted in a most appropriate fashion as his stomach rumbled ominously.

He coughed, sure his own face was growing red to match his lover's. "Quite."

"And then back to bed?" Holly said with another yawn, sitting up and casting about for clothes. Then she remembered that they were all down by the pond. She supposed eating naked was acceptable, so long as Artemis didn't begin to develop weird kinks. "More spooning?"

Artemis smirked, teeth flashing. "I was under the impression we were forking."

With a groan that was certainly not derived from sexual pleasure, Holly punched her partner's shoulder. "Bad joke, Artemis. _Very_ bad joke. You should be ashamed."

"And yet...not in the least."


	5. Taste of the Forbidden

It was late in the evening, but there were always a few food joints open in Haven, so they ordered in a pizza, and Holly watched in amusement as Artemis ate his first slice. Ever.

He seemed astonished at the flavor, as well as impressed, but soon turned alarmed as he failed to bite through the cheese and the entire topping portion slid off, landing on his bare chest.

"Hot!" He cried out, waving at his chest and casting about for a towel, which Holly soon provided. It was a shocking temperature, but not enough to harm the man, and he scowled as the greasy, runny cheese was wiped away.

The fact that Holly was laughing softly to herself made his countenance darken even further as he put down the nude slice and picked up a fresh one. "Mind you don't do that to my shirt," he said, gesturing at his lover.

Holly looked down at her chest and smiled. When Artemis had been unable to take his eyes away from her nakedness as she quizzed him on their food options, she had gone off in a huff and come back a minute later wearing one of his white work shirts. This had lead to even more staring, and an eventual request to turn around. She had obliged him, blushing as she spun slowly for a full look. She hadn't bothered to wear undergarments of either type, seeing as the shirt was just long enough to cover her buttocks, but the low rumble she had heard from the man showed that the length of the shirt did not help his situation in the slightest. Holly suspected that, had he not just had his third orgasm of the night, she would have been dragged onto him for another rough shag.

She was surprised to find herself a little disappointed that he hadn't. Artemis was turning her into a little nympho.

So, here she was, wearing a very fine button-up shirt and about to consume a very messy food. She half considered getting a towel to act as a bib, but merely leaned over the table so that her mouth was as far from the white linen as possible.

They ate in companionable silence after that initial failure. The pizza disappeared with speed, and both were somewhat embarrassed to note it's passing, but, as the last two slices sat waiting consumption, neither considered putting it aside, each taking one to finish it off. They had been engaged in rather strenuous activities this night, after all. A little extra sustenance was in order. Artemis found this refueling especially important. He had absolutely no intentions of being done with the evening.

Holly swallowed her last bite with an appreciative sigh and resisted the urge to pat her stomach, which would have resulted in smearing grease all over the expensive shirt. She looked at her hands speculatively and began to place her fingers in her mouth one-by-one, licking off the so-very-not-good-for-her oils, humming distractedly. It was a nice way to end the evening. A casual dinner, and then back to bed for more sleep and mutual embracing. She got the feeling Artemis's earlier protestations about which spoon he should be would prove ultimately fruitless. It just felt right to have her arm about him, rather than vice-verse, even if the alternate arrangement had proved so enjoyable. She considered the option of lying on his chest and smiled. That seemed like it would be very nice, indeed

She looked across at Artemis, intending to suggest this, but found herself too confused to speak.

The man had finished all but the last few bites of his final slice, and it now hung limp in his hand, a long line of cheese threatening to detach and fall on his red boxers. Despite the general match in sauce color, Holly suspected that there would still be a visible stain, and expected him to snap out of it at any moment and protect his clothes. He did not move, however, and the line got longer...and longer...

Holly raised her eyebrows, removing her last finger from her mouth and gesturing at the pizza. "Gonna get you, love," she warned.

Artemis jolted at being addressed, and looked down at the flatbread. He tossed it back to the box just in time, and then turned his attention back to her. Waiting.

Holly felt herself flush, and could not figure out precisely why. He had looked at her much more intensely when she sat nude on her bed. There was no reason for her to feel so utterly awkward, here in a shirt and not about to take his virginity.

Yet, still, her face turned red and she said, in a squeaky voice, "What is it, Artemis?"

He also turned red, then looked away. "A...memory." He prodded at his food, and then prodded harder, pushing it away. Food was now quite firmly out of his mind. Eating, however...in a sense...

"Of what?" Holly said innocently, having not caught on to his distraction, and having utterly failed to see through the black dining room table. If she had, she would have watched as a twitch arose in Artemis's boxers, the timing aligned to his heartbeat, and steadily growing more vigorous with each second.

"Do you recall that first time I visited Haven for an extended period?" He breezed. "The...swear toad incident?"

Holly smiled fondly, remembering the injury caused to the young man and his own rare cursing. Then she recalled what came directly after the young Fowl was bitten, and she looked down at her still-moist fingers. Then back up at her lover. "Did it really have that big of an effect on you?"

"Holly," Artemis said, smirking and turning slightly in his seat, "of _course_ it had a big effect on me." His eyes drifted down the sweep of his body, and Holly's followed.

When they simultaneously reached their destination, she looked up quickly, mouth agape. "You... _again_?"

He nodded once, graciously.

"It's only been an hour!"

"An hour and a half," Artemis protested.

Holly let her head thump to the table. It was undeniable. She was going to be subject to ludicrously frequent assaults on her now thoroughly-shattered virtue for the next few months.

She was terribly excited.

However, at the moment, she was somewhat at a loss of what to do. Sex on a table was a lot less erotic when there was a mostly empty pizza box occupying the center. She needed to relocate them, or she would find herself rutting with the smell of cardboard and cheese in her nose. A memorable way to end the night, but not the precise variety of memory she craved. Artemis needed to be led, that was obvious enough. Yet...how?

Inspiration struck, and she lidded her eyes, lips twitching in a sultry, misbehaving smirk. " _Had_ a big effect?"

Presented with his mate being, once again, more alluring than he could fathom, Artemis swallowed. "I...suppose, yes...?"

"No, no," Holly said, sliding off her chair and closing the distance to her lover, standing between his parted legs, resting her hands high up on his thighs, the tips of her fingers playing under the hems of his boxers. "I mean...only in the past tense?"

"Past...what?" Artemis breathed, looking at his lap and her adventurous hands. His hips moved a fraction, trying to increase her touch, but her hands disappeared before his cock had the chance to make contact.

They rose to grasp the hand that rested on the table, bringing it away from the surface and up. Up so she could nuzzle her cheek against the lithe pianist's fingers, looking past them to reclaim contact with the man's eyes. "I think it would still effect you. What do you think, Arty?"

He didn't respond, having finally worked through lust to understand what she said. The world would really have to avoid needing to be saved whenever he was horny, because it would surely be doomed if Holly wasn't about to solve that problem.

Of course, that could put a whole new, thoroughly enjoyable twist on their adventures...

Certain that her lover was still uncontrollably focused on her face and his hand, Holly parted her lips...and bit the first joint of Artemis's index finger.

He jumped in surprise at the rough treatment, but did not protest. She would need to do far more shocking things before he asked her to stop.

With an almost nervous hesitation, Holly slipped her tongue out, dragging it on the pad of the finger. He tasted...of pizza, really. She continued licking that one spot, smirking as Artemis squirmed a bit, until she had cleaned him and come across the simple taste of skin. It wasn't palatable, but also not revolting. In all honesty, the pizza taste was better, but this was not an act associated with hunger.

Making absolutely sure that Artemis watched (as if he could do anything but, knowing what was about to transpire), Holly wrapped her lips about the tip of his finger and began to work her way down to the webbing of his hand in one long, wet suck, her tongue moving in slow, but constant strokes. All the while, she made little hums and minuscule moans, the sounds making Artemis's ears tingle.

"Why is that...so..." Artemis tried to say, but found himself unable to find adequate words to describe the sight of Holly engulfing a thoroughly non-sexual part of his body in an imitation of fellatio.

She brought her mouth back off a bit more quickly, the finger making a soft pop as it was released. She licked her lips. "Hot?" she supplied with a smile. So this would be his kink. Finger-sucking. Well...she could introduce him to more salacious options in the coming years.

"That will do," Artemis confirmed the description.

Holly looked to the ceiling, thinking. Both her hands being occupied to hold onto Artemis's, she used his own index finger to tap her lips contemplatively, earning a little chuckle from the generally stoic man. Eventually, she shrugged. "No clue...except maybe you're thinking of...this?" She opened her mouth again, taking in his middle finger all the way to the root with no sliding, tongue again working away. Knowing the hand was not going to fight her, she took one of her own away and let it fall.

The button of Artemis's boxers came away easily, and he groaned as Holly's hand slid inside, removing his member, letting it become exposed to the air. Wrapping her fingers around the hardness, she pumped it three times, tight and fast, making him shudder in a breath and push his hips up to meet the strokes. Then she simply trailed her hand along the length, feather-light, as she brought her mouth away from his hand.

He didn't confirm her suggestion, which was answer enough in and of itself. Deciding that gloating could wait, Holly backed away from her lover, keeping a firm grip on his hand (wondering briefly if she should have instead continued to hold his cock). "Follow me," she said, turning to face the dining room entryway, going through there to the kitchen and past to the living room.

She needn't have said a word. With the possibility that those amazing lips would relocate from his fingers (erotic as the sight was) down his body to his again-aching hardness, Artemis would have followed his lady anywhere, so long as it was private. Possibly even that was not even a necessity.

When he was pushed to sit on the couch, some small part of him protested the local. It was so...plebeian. This was what very young couples—not-yet-legal couples—did in their parent's house, hoping no authority figure would walk in to catch them. Surely not a spot for mature adults with their own careers and domiciles.

His hormones ordered his upper-class sensibilities to kindly go fuck themselves when Holly joined him on the couch, straddling his lap and again taking a finger—this time his ring finger—into her mouth, her other hand descending to languidly stoke his twitching cock.

It was all a function of sight, Artemis realized as he observed Holly fellating his fingers. Nothing of imagination, as he did not mentally substitute his hand with his own erection, content to see her pleasuring a less sensitive part of his body. It did fell good—with the addition of the hand on his crotch, spectacular—but watching that finger sliding in and out, accompanied sometimes by the little flick of pink tongue and the wicked shine to Holly's eyes was what made the act so...lewd. So very improper. Artemis didn't think any of his human debutante pursuers would have done this, even if he'd asked. As for what he really, truly _ached_ for...never. They would have never done so, saying it was not something "ladies" performed.

"Holly," he whispered, licking his lips. "Would you..." He nodded down his body, where her hand pleasured him.

"Hmmm?" She said about his finger, letting it again pop free, batting her eyes coquettishly "Would I what?"

"Don't...make me say..." He flushed. He had talked on occasion while they had sex, mostly along the lines of "yes" and "please," but this was...slightly different. He was aroused to the point where it was almost painful, but he wasn't actually in the middle of coitus. It was a sort of quiet within the storm and Holly was...well, _ordering_ him to say what he wanted. It was a cruel game, and for a fraction of second, he thought about refusing and ending things. Then he recalled that ending things would mean not getting what he wanted, or, more accurately by now, _needed_.

He licked his lips and formulated the words in the most dignified manner he could manage. "I...want you to...pleasure me...orally."

Holly stared at him.

And then she began to laugh, harsh and almost cruel, forgetting all about sucking his fingers or stroking his member, leaning over to wrap her arms about Artemis's neck, burying her face in the curve between neck and shoulder. Her little tears began to slide across his skin as she was overcome with mirth and tried to repeat his words. "Pl...pl...pleasure you... _what_?"

"It is a valid statement!" He yelped, pushing at her shoulders. "Grammatically correct! Did you not understand what I meant?"

"Of _course_ I understood!" Holly raised the back her her wrist to her mouth, biting it to hold in more loud laughter, then wiping at her cheeks, once she felt she could speak without dissolving into snorting giggles. "But you sound like my old bio teacher!" She took a quick, snorting breath, going into the giggles she had fought so desperately in an attempt to keep her dignity. " _Orally!"_

"What do you _want_ me to say?" Artemis demanded, alarmed to note that, confronted with an insanely laughing Holly, he was rapidly losing his erection.

"Something...gods, something _sexy_ , at least," Holly said.

"I'm not exactly adept at this, Holly. You should be pleased that is what I came up with, rather than something even more scientific."

" _More_ scientific?" Holly leaned back, giving her lover an incredulous look. "What would be _more_ scientific than 'pleasure me orally'?"

Artemis opened his mouth.

Holly clamped her hand over it swiftly. "I really don't think I want to know."

After a second to consider this, Artemis gave a nod that said indeed, she did not.

Blowing out a breath to flip her fringe of hair out from her eyes, she seemed to think. Soon, she brightened, taking her hand away, placing it on Artemis's shoulder to steady herself. "I've got it. Just repeat after me."

Artemis leaned his head away, brows lowered. "I don't know..." After a moment (and another surge of blood through his cock), he sighed, nodding.

"Good boy," Holly chirruped, patting his cheek, making him scowl. She banished the expression by letting her hand drift down again, taking hold of his member. Under her touch, it began to rapidly harden again, and Artemis's breathing increased in tempo and irregularity. "'Holly,'" she prompted, nuzzling at one of his ears.

" _Holly_ ," he gasped, jerking into her hand, a drop of pre-cum leaking from his tip, which she used to moisten her hand for better stroking.

"'Love of my life,'" she crooned, licking at his earlobe.

"Love of my life," he responded with no hesitation, though "life" was drawn out by a groan as her tongue traced up the ridge of his ear.

"'I want you to...'" She began to suckle the tip of his ear, squeezing his erection harder as she did so.

"Oh, d'arvit," Artemis panted, hands coming up to grasp her hips, bringing the woman in closer to grind against her. "I want you...to..." He swallowed, nuzzling against her neck to prompt her forward. This was _torture_.

"'I'm _begging_ you..." Holly purred.

Artemis jerked, bringing his ear away from his lover. "H-Holly, I am not going to... _say that_."

She pouted, taking her hand away from him so she could cross her arms. "And why not?"

He gritted his teeth as the loss of sensation hit him, making a painful ache begin in his groin. He'd heard of this. Vasocongestion. Or, as the layman called it, "blue balls." The genius squirmed, trying to pull on the woman's hips to regain the desperately needed friction, but with no luck. "I don't _beg_ , Holly."

"That's not fair," she whined slightly as she spoke, but in a theatrical manner. Not pleasant, but far less so than if she had been in earnest. "I mean, I think there should be an equivalent exchange."

"A what?" Artemis replied, feeling the throb of his blood, sure that, at any moment, he would take matters into his own hand and bypass all this begging nonsense. After all, it wouldn't be too difficult; she wore no undergarments, and she _was_ straddling him. Even now, his cock rested against her nether lips, it's twitching like a tentative knock on a door. It wouldn't take a secret rapping to be let in, if he was fast.

"Well, yes," Holly said airily, one hand flipping in the air before landing delicately on her cheek. "I mean, how do you expect me to beg for your cock if you wont do the same for me?"

Artemis knew his jaw had dropped, and felt he should have been sort of ashamed over that.

Noting his reaction, Holly smirked, and then winked.

A very swift debate took place in Artemis's mind. On his aristocratic side, the argument was all verbal, listing his great lineage and the many things he had done for the world. His intelligence and fiscal worth. His general mien and the importance of his dignity. He was Artemis Fowl II, and he simply _did not beg._

His male side had an entirely visual argument: Holly prone on his bed, on her knees, chest pressed to the mattress, legs parted to open herself to him, pussy wet and waiting, hands tearing at the sheets, hair slick with sweat, panting, looking back at him, begging him, _begging him_ to take her hard and fast and _now_ , Artemis!

Artemis decided his male side made a very compelling argument. He gritted his teeth even harder and took a deep breath. Despite this, he spoke very softly. "I'm...begging you..."

She tilted her head. "Hmmm? What was that?"

" _Holly_ ," he hissed, eyes darting about, as if someone watched them, even in the privacy of his own living room. It did not help that Foaly had conditioned him over the last decade to assume surveillance. "I...said it..."

"I didn't hear you," she almost sang, leaning in. "Say it like you _mean it,_ Arty."

He whimpered, looking up into her eyes. They were so avid, so attentive, her entire focus on him... His only two options were to comply and receive what she was obviously so ready to give, or refuse and retain this ache as well as losing that glorious possibility of the woman desperate for him.

He spoke again and, while he said it in a voice that was softer than his casual words, they were still a roar in his ears. "I'm begging you, Holly. _Please_."

"Oh, nice ad-libbing," she cheered. Moving in a little closer, she gave him a quick kiss, only breaking off a fraction, so that their lips could still brush together as she spoke. "One final part, okay?"

He nodded, fingers digging into her hips. _So close_.

She licked her lips, and, in the process, flicked her tongue across his own mouth, making him shudder. Deliberately, mouth exaggerating the shapes, she finished the sentence. "'Holly...suck my cock.'"

Artemis groaned, closing his eyes. He could feel his face turning red, and wondered why it had not done so when he had been forced to say the last portion of the sentence. Yanking on the woman's hips to bring her sex sliding across his, he was suddenly doubly thrilled that she had failed to find a pair of undergarments for lounging about. "Holly, _suck my cock,"_ he growled, then sealed his mouth over hers, forcing his tongue deep inside, tasting her every inch.

Holly had just begun to get over the slight shock of the kiss and respond with a little sigh and her own questing tongue when she felt Artemis's hands pressing on her shoulders. Her face was torn from his as she slipped down the couch, yelping. She only managed to stop when her feet hit the floor, leaving her somewhat crouched, her head against his chest.

She looked up at him, eyes narrowed. "Who is in charge here, Artemis?"

"If you don't start soon," he rumbled, pushing her another inch down, "it's going to be me. This is cruel, Holly. I did as you ask, so do as you promised!"

"Fine, fine," Holly said, rolling her eyes theatrically. Shimmying her shoulders, she broke free of Artemis's grip, though mostly because he recognized her agreement, instead of the movement being effective on its own. It would have taken quite a bit more power to get free if he had not wanted to let go, though she could have easily mustered it, given her years of LEP training.

Deciding that moving back up his body to begin a trail from his neck would result in Artemis again forcing her downward, Holly began her work at the man's chest. She dragged her tongue across the flesh...and then paused, blinking.

Finding that his lover had stopped when she had so recently agreed to not do so, Artemis nudged her. "What is it?"

"Mmmm..." Holly murmured, grinning. "Tastes like pizza."

"Oh, stop," Artemis growled, pushing her head away from the dirty patch of skin. "I'd rather you didn't get a bizarre fetish, thank you."

Holly let out a false whine, but, when she was nudged again, she laughed softly and complied, moving further down Artemis's torso, bending her legs to bring herself to the ground, resting on her knees. She kissed her way down his stomach, nipping at his tensed skin and smiling when the muscles beneath flexed and the man hissed. Lower and lower she went, moving to the side as she came to the edge of his boxers, bypassing them and harshly biting his upper thigh.

The new elf yelped, then groaned as she licked at the skin, and then further up, her hands delving far under the legs of his boxers, fingertips _almost_ there, almost...

Her fingers weren't the only thing active, however. As Artemis breathed in deeply so he could handle the sensations of her fingers just inches away, Holly lathed her tongue across the underside of Artemis's cock, licking from the base to the tip in one flat sweep, drawing his tip into her mouth at the end.

Artemis literally sighed in relief as he felt himself engulfed, and he looked down to watch the glory. Holly had only done this to him once before, and that first experience had been... _phenomenal_. Her mouth felt fantastic, certainly, but it was the visuals that made the act so sublime. It was Heaven just looking down at her lips wrapped about his cock, sliding back and forth, taking him in until he felt his head nudging against the back of her throat, held here for a few seconds before she brought her head back up, completely removing his cock from her mouth so she could circle the tip with her tongue before drawing him back in. She did all this while looking right up at him, occasionally lidding her eyes halfway and moaning around his length, as if she received just as much pleasure from the sucking as Artemis. He seriously doubted that to be the case, but he loved how much she seemed to enjoy herself.

He found that he had slightly more control than the first time she had blown him, and he purred softly, placing a hand on top of her head, tangling into her hair. He began to gently push on her, making the sucks go down faster and up slower, shuddering at the drag of her wet, perfectly suctioned lips about his hardness. Her eyes flashed up at him, sparking at his bid for control, though she did not actually rebel. She allowed Artemis to guide her mouth, humming when he began to thrust up to meet her, little gasps coming with each swift hilting into her buzzing throat.

Artemis was suddenly struck by a brilliant idea. Someone had suggested it to him, once, in a way. And, if she was going to be down there, he might as well do what he could to pleasure his lady as she did the same to him.

What were those ears for?

Handlebars.

Artemis took his hand from Holly's hair, bringing them both about to her ears, brushing his thumbs along the curves, pinching at her earlobes and rubbing the tips.

Holly's reaction was immediate. Her hands on his legs clawed down, making him yelp, though she managed to avoid injuring him before her claws left his legs completely. She went from a small hum to a deep moan, the vibrations traveling along his cock and deep into his balls, made doubly intense as he gently tugged at her ears, bringing her head down until he fit as deep into her throat as she could manage without literally swallowing him.

Artemis groaned, thrusting up into her, trying to go even deeper, only backing off when Holly made a whimper that was obviously no longer from pleasure. As she slid off his cock, he began to gain some small clarity, and that was when Artemis finally noticed that Holly's hands were conspicuously absent from his body. She had made free use of her hands when last sucking him, so he found himself missing those clever digits. He looked down at her, about to ask her to wrap one about the base of his shaft, perhaps use another to stroke his aching balls.

And then he noticed.

He couldn't actually see what she was doing from this angle, but it was obvious enough. Holly's arms were down at the base of the couch, against her body. Even when he did not play with her ears, she moaned and gasped.

Artemis whimpered as he felt his pleasure suddenly double. She was...gods, she was masturbating right in front of him, even as he fucked her mouth.

Watching her, knowing she was playing with herself, he thrust back into her wet lips, almost tugging at her ears as he guided her into swift, full sucks. It was too much. He felt himself tighten, then rush, and then it was over. He began to cum directly into Holly's mouth, still thrusting, coating each moist surface with the bitter liquid, growling in approval when, instead of trying to pull away or reacting with any degree of disgust, she began to swallow, her tongue lapping at the head of his cock, urging the semen down her throat, taking all he was able to give her. It wasn't much, after their many sessions, but the orgasm was no less in length, and he said her name softly, almost out of air by the time he subsided, still blessed with occasional jolts of pleasure.

Taking her lover from her mouth, Holly made long licks as he began to grow soft, finally laying her head on Artemis's thigh, looking up at him as she panted and shuddered.

He watched her and, after a moment, raised an eyebrow. "Not done, then?"

Without words, she shook her head, letting out another long moan.

Artemis continued to brush his fingers along her ears, making her whimper and arch her back, eyes closed. It was yet another amazing sight, but...not perfect.

"I want to see," he said.

Holly opened her eyes and brought her head away, biting at her lower lip. "I...ah...don't..."

"Not acceptable," Artemis said, even before she had a chance to finish. She had been in control far too much this night. Wrapping his fingers about her forearm, he pulled the woman up until she sat next to him on the couch.

As she rose, she took her hands away from her pleasure-center, folding them on her lap. Her body cried out at the loss, and she looked away from her lover, chewing on the corner of her lips. It wasn't as if she hadn't done something similar with a man before—she had, in fact, once had a mate that was so fixated on watching her finger herself that he never actually got around to having sex before the sight had finished him off—but Artemis was...a bit different, in all things. While he was certainly accustomed with the theory of sex, Holly knew one important thing: he was the first virgin she had taken to her bed, and there was something sacred about that. Even if the virgin sure didn't think so.

The virgin (ex, technically) had never been very patient, however (at least when he saw no need to be patient), and he tutted at his lover's reticence. Given the time to think, he would undoubtedly come to the correct conclusion about Holly's blush, and then spend a good ten minutes throwing aside her proclivities with logic, thus completely ruining the mood, though he assured himself of reaching his goal at some future date. Luckily for the atmosphere, he had decided to allow his body to react on instinct when making love to his lady, and his response to her hesitation was to lean in close, nuzzling and licking her neck, tongue dragging up to the hollow just behind her ear before going back down to the sharp line of her collarbone, all while he let one hand roam along her thigh and up past her hip to caress the side of a breast, stopping just short of the pert nipple. "Holly..."

"Y...esssss...?" She writhed, feeling an almost itching sensation in her core, along with an emptiness. Her every movement made the wet lips of her sex slide against one another, putting the slightest pressure on her bud.

"I will help you, but...first, you must help yourself."

"Wha?" She blinked, and then moaned, catching onto the only important part of that sentence. He would help her. She wanted his tongue between her legs, bringing her off, and she began to copy his earlier insistent gesture, pushing on his head to force the man down, pulling herself up the couch to create the proper distance.

Artemis chuckled at her repositioning, kissing the skin that went by, sharply biting a nipple, which only seemed to make her moans grow louder, her fingers tangling into his hair. "It should be obvious, my love. I want to see. I _demand_ to see you touch yourself, pleasure yourself...or I will simply not help you."

She glared down at him, rolling her hips to bring her sex closer to his mouth, hoping the proximity would push away his dirty thoughts. When he did not immediately delve his tongue into her, she tried whimpering. "Artemis, please, lick me..."

"Ah, ah," he chided, waving a finger at her. "I did as you asked, and now you must do as I say."

"Oh, I _must_ , must I?" she snapped. "Pretty cocky of you. I've already cum three times tonight; I really don't _need_ another."

Artemis raised a brow, feigning surprise rather well. "Oh, really? Well, if that's the case, then I'm sure _this_ will have no effect whatsoever." He nuzzled at the inside of the woman's thigh, his breath hitting the wonderfully soft skin and rising the small distance to her vulva, making the elf close her eyes, legs spreading wider to invite him in. He, however, did not advance, instead kissing her leg, drawing his tongue in a line up and down, following the definition of muscle up to a divot right in the crease between leg and hip, and then away as she trembled, going back to the more pliable bits of flesh, which he began to kiss. When she was squirming and again reaching down to force his head to its final destination, Artemis opened his mouth and began sucking on Holly's thigh, biting, at first gentle, and soon turning rough, almost carnivorous, making her gasp as the capillaries under the skin broke in a perfect circle.

As much as it hurt, it felt so _good_ , and she looked down as the man drew away, leaving the dark red mark of a hickey, which she carefully told her magic to avoid. A mark from Fowl. It was oddly exciting, though, while she appreciated it and would spend the next week glancing at the fading bruise whenever she changed, she wanted... _needed_ that mouth to do something else.

Seeing the lust in his mate's eyes, Artemis smirked, laying his head on her thigh, and waved at the crux of her legs. "I have made my demands. Do you agree?"

She swallowed. Then, minutely, nodded.

Her hands moved slowly, but with a pattern developed through much experience. She began by brushing at her neck and collarbone, more warming the skin than arousing herself, as this would have done on those nights she had lain alone, thinking of...well, in the last few months, thinking of Artemis, to be honest. It had felt almost dirty, imagining her young human friend running his hands where hers went, undressing her on that monster of a bed back at the Manor. She closed her eyes, recalling what she had always fantasized about.

As her hands went up her neck, brushing her ear, she pretended it was a human Artemis sliding up her body, his arms on either side of her hips, keeping him from touching the rest of her body, only contacting at the cone of her ear, where his lips tickled as he whispered to her. _"I can see it in your eyes, Holly. You need this very badly. I wont hurt you. Let me have you."_

Even though the real Artemis was actually with her, resting on her as he watched the woman become lost in imaginings, she nodded and whispered her response. "Be careful, Artemis. You're...very..."

At her thigh, the elf smiled, realizing what she was doing. The words he spoke perfectly matched those of the imagined Artemis, making her gasp. "Big? It will fit, I assure you."

She moaned as the addition of real sound made her fantasy suddenly intensify. One hand began to tug at her earlobe, the man in her head suckling it, nipping whenever she brought her nails together for a tiny, would-be painful pinch, the harshness of it lost in the desire. Her other hand came back down, rubbing at her side, and her dream self found her shirt being moved up, Artemis's hand finding the front clasp of her bra, flicking it open easily, her breasts (larger in this dream, she realized) spilling free, nipples already hard and needful. He obliged their demands, kissing each while she, in real life, brushed her fingertips across the nubs. A tug was him beginning to suckle them, and she put her fingers into her mouth to wet them and then rub across her breasts to simulate his tongue.

At the end of the couch, the real Artemis was suddenly very, very sad that he could not muster the energy for another erection. He had never expected the show to be like this. Or that her fantasies had included him even before their relationship was solidified. The idea that his new lover had brought herself to orgasm before they even dated was a heady idea. Flattering. Could he have convinced her, as a human, to lay with him? The change to a fairy was certainly the best decision he could have made, but thinking of himself full-sized (as he still could not think of this new body as being his proper proportion) and making love to the so-much-smaller woman was...maddening. She would be so pliable, so fragile, so _tight_ about him. Each thrust would nearly tear her apart, and she would face each one with the confidence that she always bought into her dangerous LEP work, never once flinching from the filling.

Holly had never come to a conclusion about whether she would take a human Artemis as her lover, but she continued imagining it. She used both hands to squeeze her breasts, gasping as her dream began to kiss down her body. Kiss and nip and suck and lick, neck to chest to stomach to navel to _oh gods..._ One hand was brought away to falsify his track, and, carefully, with thumb and middle finger, she parted her folds, exposing them to the air, waiting. Dream Artemis looked up, smirking, licking his lips. _"Fascinating,"_ he purred, blowing on the wet skin. _"Do you want my tongue, my elf?"_

" _Yes_ ," Holly breathed. "I want your tongue!"

The real Artemis watched the reveal of Holly's pink lips and was almost shocked to find himself salivating. She was so... _exposed_. He could see her opening move slightly, searching out something to fill it. The scent was intoxicating: nearly all Holly, but with the obvious mark of his own seed. This was the scent of a claimed Holly. _His_ lover, irretrievably. He would take her again and again, until their scents began to mix in a sort of alchemy, creating a single pheromone for them both. His cum in her mouth, her pussy, settling deep in her womb. Her own musk on his cock and fingers and tongue. He eased his body up so he could reach out and bring that slightly salty wetness onto his taste buds.

Before he could, her index finger began to move, tapping at her clit, making her breath in sharply, a little "aaaah..." of disappointment following each abandonment. And then delicately sliding, only a tiny bit of skin-on-skin contact, but this limited caress made her moan, clit moving with the finger as she imagined the tip of a large tongue testing her. Being so very careful, because of the difference in their scale. Then growing more confident, putting on more pressure. Taking full strokes, the tongue (and her finger) forced her higher, made her squirm and buck her hips as a burning started deep in her core. It began to take over her body, and the human looked up at her, his eyes fiery, and rumbled out a thrilling, terrifying sentence. _"Do you want my cock?"_

She nodded, a fringe of her hair flying into her eyes, sticking to her moist lips. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Please." It made her sound like a porn star, but that didn't seem to matter as she stopped squeezing at her breast, moving that hand down, ready for the plunge of two fingers into her, the penetration nowhere near as big as it was in her dream, but the fantasy so real that she could almost feel it.

The elf man had reached his limit. The sliding finger on his lover's clitoris had surprised him and, he had to admit, made him slightly jealous. Certainly, she thought of him, but a different him. It was akin to a woman imagining her husband's younger, thinner days during love-making. He wanted her to feel _him_ , and not some dream. Before Holly's fingers could simulate a large human cock, he brought a hand to his mouth, sucking two of his own fingers for lubrication, and thrust them inside the major's cunt.

Lost in her fantasies, Holly screamed at the unexpected penetration. She opened her eyes, looking down her body, and took in her lover working her with his fingers. Their eyes met, and his were dark, almost terrifying. What brief stab of unease she felt during the assault was torn away as he brought his hand back, fingers coming free, and then jerked forward again, hand twisting as he fucked her, finding and touching every little nerve in her core, knowing she recognized what was the real source of her pleasure.

"A-Artemis!" She cried out, shocked to find him there. And then she went on instinct, taking her finger away from her clit, grabbing two fistfuls of Artemis's hair and pulling his face down to almost bury it in her sex. He took only a moment to comply with the unspoken demand, his tongue lapping at her folds and up to her throbbing nub. His lips encircled the tidbit, sucking it as his fingers curled, touching a rough patch on her inner walls, making a pressure build inside his mate. It grew and changed, uncomfortable to unstoppable, and suddenly burning.

Her cries were broken, past the point of intelligence. And then she went silent.

Artemis almost stopped, worried he'd done something to hurt her.

And then she began to scream. His name and "yes" and "your fingers" and "your cock" and "your tongue," all in a stream, all random, and, then "I'm cumming!"

Artemis felt her tighten about his fingers, and thrust them harder, pushing past the pressure, tongue moving as fast as he could manage. Her body rocked under the assault, breasts bouncing, and she held onto his hair like it was the only thing keeping her tied to the Earth. Her cries didn't seem to change, never diminishing, until, suddenly, she froze up again and the sound she made was a thin squeal, bereft of air.

She seemed to grow even tighter about Artemis's fingers, and she soon began to move away from his tongue, though she managed a little gasp telling him to keep fingering her. He raised himself onto one elbow as he obliged, looking up at her, gauging her reaction. When her cries began to lessen and she instead tried to take in air, he slowed his fingers, making the thrusts deeper and exploratory. He tried another lick to her clitoris, but she squeaked and turned away, so he stopped, kissing her thighs and nibbling her lips, simply waiting for her to speak.

It took some time, and first her face grew to a very bright red. She looked down at her lover, who leered up at her, and she bit her lips. Pushing on the couch and bringing her legs together, she forced him to take his hands away, sitting up and bringing her legs up to her chest. Resting her chin on her knees, she looked across the couch at Artemis, who had also sat up, lounging indulgently, one arm draped over the back of the couch.

When she didn't speak, he raised an eyebrow. "Twice?"

She nodded. When he beamed, Holly laughed, extending a leg to thump his chest with her foot. "Don't get cocky, Fowl."

"But I do have such a _big cock_ , Major Short." Head tilted, he inspected her reaction (being a deeper blush and tiny, beseeching smile). He really had not though she could grow more embarrassed, but he was proved wrong. "When did you first think of me that way? As a...man, instead of a boy?"

"You mean as a sex object?" Holly clarified.

"If you will," he nodded. "Was it during the trip back in time?"

"No," she said, wriggling her toes, watching them as she contemplated things. "I mean, I assumed that, if I...took advantage of the kiss, and we had a relationship, sex would eventually come up on the menu, but I didn't...make any plans about it, let's say."

"There was a lot to think of, back then," Artemis agreed, though he had to wonder what could have been accomplished if she had not been betrayed and their dwarf friend didn't come along for the long rides to and from Morocco. Perhaps he could have lost his virginity and been inducted to the Mile-High Club all in the same moment. Though...he was probably just feeling smug, after having caused his lady to go so completely insane.

"I think," Holly went on, unaware of his train of thought, "it was that time I came in and saw you and Butler finishing up work on your car. I sort of realized you were finally an adult. And, if you were an adult, you'd begin to do adult things...including...well, sex."

"I was still young, Holly. 'Barely legal,' as they say. And who would have even pursued me?"

"Minerva," Holly suggested, in a very dangerous mutter.

Artemis looked at her.

He began to laugh.

Holly scowled. "She would have!"

"Holly," Artemis chuckled. "I...she...that would have been a _disaster!_ " He shook his head. "I will admit, she is an attractive woman, and an ideal match, in a social and economic sense." He held out a staying hand as his lover's face turned a purple that was reminiscent of her old commander. "But we would have been at each-others throats within _hours_. I believe we shall always be very close, dear _friends_ ," he emphasized as she continued to darken, "but...little more."

"So...if it hadn't been me and all...this," she gestured at his new body, "you...still wouldn't be with her?"

"Not at all," Artemis affirmed, smiling at her need to be reassured. He'd almost thought he was immune to such uncertainties. She was not nearly so intelligent as he, but he knew she would accept facts quickly enough, once she recognized the truth in them; he was completely devoted to the woman he already considered his mate for life, despite their myriad differences. "I could only ever be with you," he emphasized. Taking Holly's hand, he pressed it against his own, their palms and fingers lining up, and his were now just a fraction larger, rather than twice as large or more, as that man in her fantasies would have been.

They both looked at the connection, reflecting on how well they fit together, now that the change had been made. It was difficult to consider the species-swapping Ritual as a "sacrifice" when they had both gained so much.

Then Artemis shifted his fingers, sliding them in an alternating pattern with Holly's, hand closing down to hold her tight.

She looked at his face, silent, but questioning. Wanting something more from him.

He squeezed, bringing their joined hands to his face so he could kiss the back of hers. "We were made for each other, you know."

Her eyes went back to their hands. They contrasted so much. Hers rough and dark, and his pale and smooth, meant to do such different things. Bring down a criminal with a few quick attacks, or cause total mayhem at the tap of a key. She could feel the bodily connnection of just minutes ago slipping away, leaving her feeling empty. "Are you...sure?"

"Of course," he whispered, tapping a finger on the underside of her chin, making her head rise a fraction, so that their eyes could meet. He smiled. "What Being could have made us so very different...without knowing that it was so we could fit _together_?"


	6. Dangerous Games

Everyone, eventually, has to sleep, and Holly thanked the gods that Artemis only had enough energy to trudge upstairs and flop onto his bed, rather than request another shagging. He had stopped a moment to look at the messy sheets and give Holly a beseeching look, as if expecting her to toss them into the wash and bring out a fresh set without a trace of what had happened in that bed a few hours before, but she completely missed his disconcertion, too busy burying her head under a pillow. Once he was actually in bed, he found he didn't care so much about the lighter-colored, slightly stiff patch on the blue sheets. Especially when he pushed it closer to Holly's side.

They had slept on and off since what would normally be considered dinnertime, and that, paired with the rigorous physical activity (at least on Artemis's end, Holly having a much higher store of stamina), evened out to Holly waking up at the same time she did every day.

Only this time she awoke in a different bedroom, next to a warm body. It made her smile and snuggle closer, her skin pressing to Artemis's as he continued to breath in and out, unaware of her change in consciousness.

She studied his face, and soon had to roll her eyes. She wasn't sure what she had expected in this moment. Was he supposed to look shockingly different? Like a trouble-free boy or a complete innocent, simply because he was unconscious? It wasn't as if he smirked or had his brows raised in disdain, as he often did while waking, but he simply looked...blank. His eyes moved under the lids, but his body wasn't reacting. Or, to be more accurate, his face did not react, and Holly noticed nothing else.

As amazingly comfortable as the bed was (Holly now understood why people could spend hundreds of dollars on high thread-count sheets, and began to factor a set into her budget), she knew it could not be her home forever. So, with great reluctance, but also a little flutter in her heart, she lifted herself a few inches off the bed, moving so her face hovered over Artemis's, and brushed their lips together.

He jolted at the touch, eyes snapping open. The instant wakefulness allowed him to recognize the different colored eyes above him, and he sighed in relief, saying "Holly," like it was a small prayer.

"Morning," she returned, resting her forehead against his. "Time to get up."

He yawned, forcing his mouth closed to talk. "What? Why?"

"Work, of course. It's Wednesday."

"No, it isn't," Artemis lied. "It's Saturday. We have the entire weekend ahead of us. Sleeeeep."

"Even if it was, we'd still need to get out of bed sometime." She sat up, the sheets falling off her body, and gave his shoulders a good push. "Up."

"No," Artemis grumped, and, before Holly could attack again, he wrapped his arms about her waist, dragging the woman onto his body.

"Artemis!" she shrieked, unaccustomed to being so manhandled, and completely unprepared from it from this pampered prat. She squirmed, trying to break free of his grasp. "Come on, we're going to be late! Let me go-oh!"

She suddenly froze, back going ramrod straight, eyes as large in her face as an owl's. She looked down at Artemis.

He smirked up at the woman sitting across his hips.

Holly looked behind her.

Then she looked forward again, eyes even wider. "Is that..." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

Artemis shrugged. "Good morning."

"...is that even _possible?_ " Holly whispered, as if the subject of their conversation would hear her and grow offended. Or demand that attention be focused on it alone.

"You _doubt_ me?" Artemis replied breathily, putting a hand to his chest to show where the wound he now suffered lay.

"Well, not like I can doubt _that_ ," she emphasized, trying to avoid any movement against the hardness nestled against her backside. "Only...aren't you done, by now?"

"Holly, my love," he said, "I doubt I will ever be 'done,' as you put it." Refocusing his attentions, her brought his hands up to caress the sides of her soft breasts, forced to reach further when she leaned away from his touch. " _Especially_ when you are naked and in bed with me. Can you blame me for responding?"

Though she had been well-serviced the night before, Holly finally let herself be touched. It was so slow and gentle that she didn't feel the need to make a noise, though she felt a little tingle in her toes. Simply having skin contact with another elf was wonderful. She hadn't realized how important it had been to her, even when it was lacking. It was only when she regained it that she began to notice how right it was to have her flesh against another's, even if it was just their hands.

Or perhaps it was less that it was an elf, and more that it was Artemis she shared these touches with. What he'd said before was undeniably true: they had been made for one another. Or at least they had been thrown in the forge of adversity, melted together so completely that none could find the seam between their souls. She wasn't going to accept a ring anytime soon, but it wasn't for fear of rushing into a marriage and finding herself needing to rush to a divorce lawyer a few months later. She had no doubts about where their relationship was heading, but...well, there was still a lot of time ahead of them, being a dating couple. Living separately as they got ready to join their lives permanently. Being...pre-marital.

And, as Artemis was no doubt trying to remind her, having lots and _lots_ of pre-marital sex. She was in some ways amused by his behavior, but now was really not the time for another round. Now was the time for a shower (alone, or it would undoubtedly lead to more sex, and semen was far too clingy when mixed with water) and an early start to avoid the traffic. "Stop it," she ordered, shifting away.

"Hollyyyyy," he complained, putting both hands on her waist to help keep her in place. "Don't go. Come on...we can go to work, fine." He leered up at her, the pointed ears making him suddenly vulpine, to match his sharp-toothed smile. "Just a bit...late, is all." The grin increased. "Or _very_ late, if I can manage."

She fought his grip, but with a half-hearted effort. "Artemis, do you even have the energy?"

"Well," he looked down towards his hips, "I appear to, yes."

"Artemis," Holly said in her most serious voice. "If I got on my back, could you do anything about it?"

"Um...well, you see, the principle thing is...if that were to...and, of course...though I would..." He finally took a pause in his ramblings for a deep breath. "No," he admitted solemnly.

"So you want me to do all the work," she clarified.

"You would call it work?" Artemis side-stepped.

She raised a single brow at him. She'd been practicing that one, after he'd done it to her too many times. It had required hours in front of the mirror, and a lot of giggles at the expressions she wound up making, but the effect was well worth the effort.

"...yes," he confirmed. "Would you?" When she didn't move, he added, "Please?" in a hopeful voice.

"Artemis," Holly rebuffed, putting her hands on his shoulders so she could press him into the bed for a tiny shake. " _Why_ should I?"

He stared at her a moment, brain whirring at top gear. "Be...cause you love me?" he finally managed.

"...erections make you a moron, don't they?"

"Well," he mused, "we _could_ always give me an IQ test while you perform fellatio. It would not be a perfect experiment, but I would interested to see the results."

"I bet you would," Holly murmured, and there was something in her tone that made Artemis's ears perk up, forcing him to pay attention. It was...amusement. Not the same little reaction to his clumsy advances, but instead a bit...predatory.

Artemis felt himself grow even harder as he realized this. He loved it when Holly began to act this way. It reminded him a bit of their first adventures, when they had been dancing around the subject of alliances and friendships. For a young boy, things like flyboy comments and kisses on the cheek had seemed like flirting, even if that hadn't been on Holly's mind, at the time. It had fueled Artemis on many a pubescent night, and now, hearing it again, he knew he could not let this woman out of the bed until he'd wiped that little smirk right off her face.

"Holly," he prodded, keeping his grip on her hips, lest she make the great escape. "What are you thinking?"

"Oh...nothing," she breezed, stroking her hand down her captor's chest, then across his stomach so she could tickle her fingers on his side and thigh, making the man's skin jump, though not being so delicate as to make him laugh. "I just...sort of wonder how long it would take you."

"How...long?" Artemis repeated. She was right. Sex made him an idiot.

"You know. How long before you lose control and fill me with your cum?"

"I..." Artemis began, but was temporarily distracted by her use of the future tense. He tried to gather himself back together and speak nonchalantly. "Well, mind over matter, as you know. I suppose it could take quite a while."

"I really doubt it," Holly purred.

"Your faith in me is staggering."

"Ah...then I have a challenge," Holly pressed, knowing her trap had already been sprung. Her hand stopped stroking the outside of Artemis's thigh, tucking behind her body until her fingers tapped on the inside of the male's legs, rising higher and higher, forcing her spine to angle as she sought to reach even further up her lover's body. "I don't want to be late to work, and you don't want to finish too fast, do you?" At his alarmed reaction, she nodded. "Exactly. So, a challenge." Her fingers found their target.

"Oh, damn..." Artemis grunted, shocked at the sensations caused by simply having his testicals stroked and very carefully cupped. It was entirely new, and any new thing Holly did to him invariably made him lose his mind. "Yes..." he groaned, shifting his hips in an effort to intensify the touch.

"Oh, good," Holly chirruped, lifting her hips, "we have a deal, then."

"Huh?" Artemis mumbled, trying to focus his eyes on the elf. "Holly, what are you—d'arvit!"

She slid him inside easily. With just a lift and twist of her hips to align his rapidly twitching cock, she sank down, the tip popping in and the rest sliding into place like a well-oiled piston. Which is exactly how she treated him. With no warning, no mercy, Holly began to ride her lover, only starting slow to make sure her juices had coated his cock enough to make the hard, fast ride that began only moments later comfortable for her.

"Sh-shit, Holly!" Artemis cried out, tightening his fingers on her hips, tensing his muscles to guide her movements, needing something much slower. He failed utterly, her thrusts on his member never altering their pace in the slightest.

His efforts only made the woman laugh. "Be careful, Artemis," she crooned, bottoming out on his hips before lifting off his cock entirely, giving him the sensation of full penetration with each thrust. "You don't want to be _early_ to work, do you?"

He snarled at this, still trying to overcome the strong thrusting for a few more seconds before giving up. It was completely unfair. With length of performance being such a huge factor in determining a man's sexual prowess, what evil creature would deliberately make a man have a disgraceful session? Holly, it seemed, and she was doing her utmost to prove whatever point she was trying to make. She felt so much _tighter_ than before, and Artemis knew she flexed her Kegel muscles (or whatever elves called their equivalent), tightening around him. The hand she kept behind her back still played with his balls, but now could only do so when she took him in fully, meaning that each complete, glorious envelopment was accompanied by an amazing brush along his testicles, intensifying the moment, almost making him cry out when both sensations were lost.

He could look down his body and see where she took him in; watch as his cock slid inside her, both of them wet and glistening. With her other hand, she touched herself in a long circuit. First her ears, and then down to her breasts, squeezing them hard, somehow managing to crane her head down and lift one up so she could lick her own nipple, and of _course_ she looked at him as she did that. She moved on to rub at her stomach, but only for a moment, going on to her pussy, which she trailed her fingers over, parting the lips so Artemis could see her working him even better, pinching her clit until she gasped and threw her head back, a tremor rolling through her insides. Loud suckings and slappings and other obscene noises filled his ears, blending in with Holly's theatrical moans. Or, as he hoped, natural, unhinged cries of pleasure.

He was not going to give her the satisfaction of losing. There was no way that Artemis would let his little lover conquer him in such an...unfair manner. Yet he could not tear his eyes away from this most amazing performance. Even if he had the resolve to do so, he was sure Holly would demand he watch, lest she stop, or even force his lids open, in a twisted parody of _A Clockwork Orange_.

Mind over matter, he had said. And he certainly had no control over the "matter" in this situation. So the only option was to fight the feelings; push them to the back of his mind and occupy his brain with something else, in the hope that his body would be brought away from what was happening. He tried to think of work, but soon decided that contemplating what he would say to Foaly was _not_ something he wanted to do while Holly was practically raping him. He let his mind wander in any direction not involved with sex, and plunged himself into deeper and deeper mathematical and logical conundrums.

While Holly was fit, it was a warm day and she was copulating most vigorously, so she soon began to sweat and pant from the exertion. She did not slow her movements (if anything, going faster when she found Artemis had not yet lost the game), but she did grit her teeth in a warrior's snarl, hissing around her teeth. "Do...it...you...ass...come in me!"

"Not like this," Artemis responded, his voice even, due to his lack of physical effort and the near-meditative state. "Not yet."

"Like Hell," Holly grunted, lifting herself until she slid off Artemis's cock entirely, the wet hardness falling down to thump against her lover's stomach.

He grimaced at the mess, coming out of a zen world to glare at his tormentor. "Give up, you...fuck," he stumbled, jaw dropping.

Not one to give up, Holly simply inverted her position, facing down the bed, her ass presenting itself to Artemis. Looking over her shoulder at her lover, she giggled. "I do believe I have your attention," she said, reaching between them to grab Artemis's cock. Leaning forward so her smooth buttocks were highlighted to perfection, her vulva coming into view, Holly began to rub the tip of Artemis's cock along her slit, murmuring in appreciation. "I want it so bad, Artemis," she whined. "Right... _here._ " Shifting her hips, she allowed the first half of Artemis's tip to enter her, twitching her thighs to ride that unsatisfactory fraction of cock. "Will you? Please?"

"You...succubus," Artemis growled, reaching out.

Holly yelped when, instead of grabbing high on her hips, Artemis went much, much lower. He squeezed her ass, and she had to stifle a laugh at the grip. Apparently, she was slightly ticklish in this area, but the nerves were not only squirm-inducing from laughter, but from an unexpected glow of pleasure. Taking advantage of the situation, Holly brought her own hand down to brush her vulva and rub against her clitoris. For having woken up with no noticeable sexual desire, she was perilously close to the edge. The question now was which of them would finish first. If it was Artemis, it would not be a huge loss; good men always finish what they start, after all, and he had withstood her most admirably.

Artemis—oblivious to his lover's reactions, else he might have indulged in a little tickle-based torture, to help him work down from his pleasure-high—watched the exact spot where he and Holly met with a furious intensity. Exerting only the slightest pressure, he began to pull on her hips, bringing his lover's pussy down along his cock, making it disappear as he watched. He found himself growling in approval, his simple desire turned to a true lust as he claimed his mate once more, bringing her ass all the way to his hips, and then desperately pulling harder, thrusting and shifting his hips up to go as deep as possible.

Arching her back, Holly gasped as she felt the cock move side-to-side, deeper than ever before.

The genius mind was back, and Artemis was aware that taking control like this would significantly reduce his staying power. However, that reaction...it was quite telling. Experimentally, instead of thrusting into the officer, he made small circles with his hips, helping the movement by rocking Holly in the opposite direction.

The reaction was immediate, and full of very positive utterances of "Fuck!" Instead of a haphazard stab, which might brush anywhere, Holly reveled as every part of her core was touched in a methodical sweep. She began to rub her clit in earnest, needing a release and wanting it as soon as possible. It wasn't long until she felt the burning building, and began to gasp. "I'm gonna...I'm gonna..."

With a predatory smile, Artemis pulled his hips all the way back, making Holly whimper, and then slammed in again.

"D'arvit!" She screamed, her breasts bouncing from the impact, bringing attention back to her tight nipples. "Now! I'm going to—ah!"

Artemis had not waited for her pronouncement to finish before he pulled out again and shoved hard on the woman's ass.

She flew forward without resistance, too distracted by the sex to stabilize herself, and only brought her hands out in time to catch them on the footboard of the bed, keeping herself from slamming chest-first into wrought-iron, and then the floor beyond. Her arms bent and her nipples brushed the sheets, sending tiny shocks across her chest and straight down her empty pussy. Looking behind her, mind a haze of denied orgasm, she prepared to complain, but found her words lost as the form of Artemis descended, covering her, settling chest-to-back, his hands landing over hers, gripping tight to keep her in place.

"I think I win," he growled in her ear, then bit, almost hard enough to hurt. Just when Holly cried out in alarm, he aligned his cock and slammed inside, killing the cry and making her spine curve, her ass rising to give him deeper access.

Holly tried to pull one of her hands away from the headboard, but was hindered by Artemis's death grip. "Pleeeeeease," she groaned, feeling herself on the brink, but kept away by that one input of pleasure she needed. "Hand. I need to... _clit_ ," she managed.

Artemis chuckled as he continued to pound into his lover, watching her squirm. "You need it?"

She nodded violently, every cell in her body on the brink, waiting for the explosion. " _Please_."

"Do I win?" he said, casually.

"Yes!" Holly cried out, without a thought. "You win! Please, Artemis!"

"And you will never try to play this game again?"

"Yes, yes, anything, oh gods!"

" _Good. Girl._ " Artemis said, accompanied by two particularly vicious thrusts. Then he allowed his lover some mercy, freeing one of her hands and instead taking hold of a breast, pinching and rolling the nipple between his fingers. He bit hard at Holly's neck, growling, asserting a dominance he knew she would not allow him to keep outside of the bedroom.

Holly's hand instantly shot down her body, and her first fast, clumsy, desperate rub along her clitoris finished everything. She fell over the edge, body going aflame as her pussy began to clamp down, every thrust from her lover setting off another ball of fire. His hand on her nipple was like an electrical line, making her entire right side buzz. The teeth on her neck were harsh, but so _good_. She cried out incomprehensible things, and hoped that she would soon again be filled by the warm flood of her mate's cum.

She was not to be disappointed. Already holding back to the point of madness, Artemis only had the resolve to wait for his lover's orgasm. And then he let go, a threefold pleasure starting in his balls as they tightened and the rush of cum began on his insides, soon jetting forth to go deep, _deep_ into Holly, who registered the sensation after a few seconds, making her cries intensify, with the orders to give her _everything_ followed with no protest. He wanted her as full of his seed as he could manage, even if there was little left after the previous night.

When both began to come down, Artemis remained inside his lady, even as he grew soft. He found he didn't want to leave; especially not in this position. Instinct, he concluded. A primal need to keep a mate as full as possible, and unavailable to other males, in order to ensure potential children were only his own. While he had recognized this and knew, on a logical level, that he was not ready for such a change as becoming a parent, he still didn't pull out. They were being as safe as fairies could be, in that regard, so he could indulged himself.

Holly groaned piteously.

"Are you well?" Artemis queried, stroking her back. "Have I hurt you?"

"Noooo," Holly said, clutching at her stomach. "My abs. My _abs_ ache!"

He paused at this. Then began to chuckle, patting her ass affectionately. "I suppose this means you can skip that machine at the gym, then." If he had been a gym-goer, Artemis probably would have also skipped abdominal exercises, and thighs, as well. He would need to take jogging a bit more seriously, it seemed, if he wanted to keep up with the woman. Not too much, of course. Perhaps _just_ enough upper body work to hold her wrists down. That would be acceptable.

"Well," Artemis said briskly, with a harder tap to his partner's buttocks. "Come on, let's get going. We're both going to be late to work, now."

For a moment, Artemis was sure Holly's sigh would be an acquiescence to his earlier demands of staying home. Instead, she yanked her hand free (not trapped, it seemed, but merely indulging in the myth of capture) and sat up, pushing Artemis off her back. After yawning and stretching for quite some time, she leaned back until her spine again melded to her lover's chest. When Artemis wrapped his arms about the woman's waist, she rested her hands over his, leaning her head back to nuzzle against his neck, drinking in his scent. "Hmmm. Think we can shower together without you groping me?"

Sighing, he nodded. "If you wish." He did not sound thrilled about the idea.

"Good," she said, kissing his cheek. "I think we both need a very good scrubbing, after last night."

"Are you calling me dirty?" Artemis teased, feigning offense.

"Yes," Holly confirmed, nipping his earlobe. "And sweaty. And your face smells like me."

Artemis blushed at this. "Oh...um...let us go, then."

Unwinding from each-other stiffly, they found some towels and made their way down the outer staircase. As Artemis moved, there was a definite swagger to his steps. Perhaps there were men in the world who could boast of a better record than five sex acts in one night, during which he never failed to bring his lady to an orgasm, but he certainly wouldn't believe them. In fact, he somewhat didn't believe himself. He would be crushed if it was all a lie, but not at all surprised if Holly told him she had been faking some of those screams. He resolved to not let any of the information about tonight slip to the Plaza. In all likelihood, they would assume his results the exact opposite of his claims.

Of course, Holly had slightly...different plans. She smirked to herself. Lili was going to just _die._


	7. Forbidden Lands

Artemis had never been much of a TV person while he was human, finding the production quality of most shows abysmal, with a similar quality of "witty repartee." As a fairy, he likely would have continued to avoid television, but for Holly Short.

Holly wasn't an addict by any means; she had far too much energy to spend entire evenings before the boob tube. However, after very long, exhausting days, when her brain had been too taxed by work to even enjoy some reading and her body was put through hell by a mission or her bosses, she would sit down on the couch and watch a few episodes of whatever show her co-workers had last recommended. And, on occasion, she forced Artemis to join, arguing that a cursory knowledge of media was beneficial to social interaction.

When she used big words like that, Artemis knew she was lying. He suspected she just wanted to use his lap as a pillow.

Still, he obliged, and the two were enjoying a rare night all alone. Jay Jay had been called in to one of Haven's labs to see if he could do his duty to the species with a sufficiently unrelated female lemur (and, seriously, if a lemur can look perverted...), so Artemis had agreed to spend a night at Holly's apartment, which she complained was seeing very little use. Artemis rather thought this was because her bed shouldn't have been able to accommodate a teenager, much less two full-grown elves, but he was wisely silent.

So here he was. Sitting on Holly's couch, her head in his lap, watching some thoroughly vapid historical drama that seemed determined to get every detail about the early Frond dynasty wrong. And Holly was _fascinated_. The woman had _no_ taste. Artemis tried to endure the terrible program by cataloging every historical inaccuracy.

Slang—"the chutes"—used which was not yet coined.

Supporting male actor at least a hand taller than he should be.

Period inappropriate costume. For all. Even a dog was given a collar which had materials not yet in production.

A book on the shelf which would not be in print for another five years.

Two people with a well-known lifelong feud sitting down for a friendly dinner.

Artemis's brows rose. Two people with a well-known lifelong feud kissing over the dinner table.

Two people with a well-known lifelong feud kissing _on top of_ the dinner table.

Two people with a well-known lifelong feud..oh dear. That was _wildly_ historically inaccurate.

From Artemis's lap, where Holly rested her head, there came a purring.

Ah. And now he knew why she'd picked this series. Well...in that case, he might be able to overlook its errors.

The sex scene was long since over—if King D'Klass only lasted that long, it was no wonder Lady Shallot and he fought—but Holly was obviously no longer paying attention to the television, so Artemis made the hand motion to turn it off, leaning back so he could get more comfortable.

She was nuzzling at him. Pressing against his slacks and the hardening member beneath. Running her tongue across the material, as if she couldn't wait to get a taste.

Artemis smirked, taking one of his arms off the back of the couch so he could run his fingers through Holly's hair and tickle at her ears, barely restraining the urge to grab a handful of her short locks and simple grind his erection into her face. He loved it when she initiated. In their first few weeks together, he'd started all but a few sexual acts. When her body had either adjusted to the demands of a younger man or she just decided to be more assertive, it was a great relief. And perk. Flattering, even.

Holly nuzzled a bit more, and Artemis was about to let her head go so he could unbutton his slacks. Then the female nipped at the waist of his pants. She tugged once, twice, and then the button popped through and Artemis's eyes went wide. _That_ was skill...

Holly took a pause to check for reactions, and his made her smirk before going back to her task, tugging once more to undo the metal clasp opposite the button. Then made little grunting sounds as she tried something that was obviously failing. After several seconds, she let out a small, pleased cry and gently bit Artemis's zipper, which she had just managed to lift up.

Again there was a great struggle, and Holly was soon back to frowning as she tried to move the zip down without losing her grip or one of her incisors. A half-centimeter. A full. Little by little, and Artemis barely avoided squirming in anticipation.

Holly didn't stop to gloat or check on her lover when she found she could move the zip no further. Instead, she bit the top of Artemis's waistband, right at the button, pulling it aside, and then did the same to the opposite side. Then she burrowed her face into the opening, and there was a final tug as the button of Artemis's boxers gave way, and then _relief._

Artemis let his head fall back as Holly bathed him with little licks. Every few seconds, his hips rose instinctively, seeking something tight and wet to fuck. He could be patient, though. Yes, he could be patient.

Unless Holly stopped.

Like she just had.

Artemis gritted his teeth and looked down, finding Holly's head absent from his hard cock. She was back to the cushion at his side, and the only reason he didn't shove her mouth back to his member was that her hands were at work undoing her own work slacks, hips wriggling as they and the panties were slipped off, Holly falling onto her back to finish the removal.

Artemis pounced.

Holly kicked him in the chest

Well, not _kicked_ , but both of her feet touched his chest, knees bending as he fell to halt his progress without breaking a rib. Then, just as Artemis had begun to react with astonishment, she pressed back, sending him off balance, nearly toppling the man off his side of the couch.

"Holly, what are you—"

"This way," she said quickly, rolling so she was no longer on her back, but instead rested on her stomach, using the couch arm as extra support for her upper body. Presenting to him, deliberately swaying her rear with a lovely, wicked look over her shoulder.

Artemis loved this view. Holly didn't quite have the perfect, round ass of a pinup model; no, there was some muscle definition here. Not too much. She was not an obsessive body builder. But little tucks marked the places where her hamstrings met gluetus maximus, and she still had a good bit of padding to make gripping her a treat. Far more interesting, though, was the place between Holly's legs. Not exactly like a peach, as some poets and artists might think. There was far more detail, little crevices, the labia majora parting as Holly spread her legs a little more, giving him a glimpse of thin, red labia minora and a definite, waiting wetness beyond. Artemis imagined she pulsed with want. That her lips moved against the air just a little, seeking out her favored cock.

His member certainly longed for the elf. Artemis didn't bother completely disrobing—after all, Holly still had her shirt on, too—just pushed his boxers and pants off his hips, down to his thighs, freeing his dick and taking it in hand. This coupling, he knew, must be hard. Fever-paced. Almost enough to hurt, or else she would scream at him to make it so.

Thus, Artemis didn't even bother spreading Holly's fluids to lubricate his member, instead aligning himself before grabbing Holly's hips, pulling her back as he surged forward.

Holly hissed, nails digging into the couch, throwing her head back. She didn't even have time to scream "again!" before Artemis withdrew to subject her to another thrust. _Exactly_ the right way. Though, if she was going to finish, it would have to be just as fast as he would, because such a pace would undoubtedly drive him mad.

Holly reached under her body, fingers trailing over the parted lips of her pussy until she could feel Artemis's member sliding, his balls brushing against her with each bottoming out. She got a little of her fluids on her fingers and brought them back up, finding her clitoris easily. Immediately, she knew she had a perfect touch. This wasn't the slow build focused on her groin, as usual. No, this was a small electric charge that almost completely bypassed her clit, going in a line down to her toes. Almost, in some ways, painful. And getting more intense with each rub and pinch and flick.

"Take it," Artemis growled, not really caring if he sounded like a porn star working from a terrible script. "What do you want?"

"Your cock," Holly gasped, too gone for similar worries. "Your cock, Artemis!"

"Sloweeeeer?" Artemis asked, a little chuckle deep in his throat, switching to glacial strokes. He could feel her every millimeter engulfing him. Glorious.

"No!" Holly sobbed, her pleasure diminishing. She pushed back on the couch, trying to force the penetration. "Faster!"

"Must I?" Artemis all but pouted. Teasing. Waiting to see if he was correct about her state, or if he was in trouble, being quite far along himself.

"Yes! I'm close!" The little prickle in her thighs was almost unbearable, and her pussy felt hollow, even when she was completely fulled. Friction. She needed the drag and slide of skin on skin.

Artemis groaned, relived. Such a pace was too much for him if Holly needed any warming up, but she was in a frenzy, ready, and he knew he could do this. With no warning, he increased his pace, back to the nearly painful impalement, and Holly's cries rose in volume. It was all somehow rough and dirty. Pure instinct. Rutting. He barely cared for her pleasure any more.

But pleasure there was, and, with an almost choking cry, Holly went still. Even her fingers stopped moving, clit instantly over-sensitive as an orgasm came, somehow following the electric wire in her legs, strong clenches deep inside overpowered by the strength of her mate's hips and thighs. The feeling almost completely bypassed her clitoris, but Holly was in no mood to complain, too busy screaming.

Artemis felt something inside him roaring in triumph. He had already made this woman reach the pinnacle of pleasure, and he still had plenty of energy left in him for a good, long fucking, if allowed to slow down. If he was careful, he could probably make her finish a second time. This was a challenge he found himself looking forward to almost as much as the next several minutes of slow thrusting.

He began to lengthen his movements inside her. Hands on Holly's hips, keeping her tight in place, he pulled out until his tip slipped free, watching avidly as he put the slightest pressure against her lips, a little spike of heat running through his back when the force became just enough and the head of his cock popped back in. He continued pushing, watching all the while as his member was engulfed by her wetness. There was as almost imperceptible tapping sound when he reached the end of his length, hips meeting Holly's ass, and then he kept pushing, wishing he could be even further in, her pussy even tighter about him, just wanting to conquer her every inch. It was almost a torment to pull back out to repeat the process.

When Holly whimpered on retraction, Artemis nearly felt sorry for her, and that made him distracted. He went only an inch too far, but that was enough to free his cock entirely. He pressed back immediately, and came across a great pressure. He halted, heart frozen, looking down at his mistake.

His cock—still throbbing and begging to be slid back into that amazing cunt—rested, twitching, just a bit too high. Nudging at the entrance to Holly's ass.

He swallowed, unable to move, awaiting the sharp reprimand. Perhaps he should have just reclaimed her pussy, as it would no doubt be a sufficient distraction, but the mistake was too great to be ignored. He only hoped she would allow him to continue taking her with just a warning about aim.

When Artemis refused to move, Holly groaned, pushing back against him. "Dammit...why did you stop, Artemis?"

"I...ah..." He leaned back, his cock angling back down to brush against the lips of her pussy. Perhaps she was going to ignore his mistake? Or had failed to feel the pressure on her anus? It was a blessing too good to be true.

And it was. Holly whined and turned her head to look at Artemis over her shoulder. Her eyes were still unfocused from her orgasm, and she licked sweat off her upper lip before speaking with a voice that was half breath. "Well...aren't you going to fuck it?"

Artemis nodded and began to push his hips forward again.

Before he entered his woman, he stopped. "...'It'?"

She did not answer, except to face forward again, head hanging off the side of the couch, her hands digging into the soft cushions. She waited.

Somehow, Artemis was sure that he should not ask. Should not simply come out and tell Holly that he wasn't sure he understood what she meant, and did she really mean...that? Surely he was hearing her wrong. Women didn't just... _say_ you could do that! Weren't men supposed to _beg_ , and then only get it when the woman had an ulterior motive?

Instead, he moved back from her vulva. Slowly, waiting for a response. He got none. Taking his cock in hand, Artemis aligned the head with Holly's anus, letting the tip rub against the tight flesh. He could see a shudder pass across her back, but the woman did not say anything or respond any more than this involuntary movement.

Experimentally, Artemis ran a finger along the ridge of his cock, finding it slick with Holly's juices. The woman had been thoroughly wet while he serviced her, and there was plenty of fluid left on his member, leaving the tip of his cock shining and almost dripping.

He waited, giving his lover another chance to stop him. She did not.

Swallowing down all final misgivings, Artemis pressed forward, just a tiny bit. Nothing changed, but for the addition of the slightest pressure on Holly's hole. Again, there was no response. So, with a deep, calming breath, he pressed harder. The resistance was tremendous, but only from that single part of Holly's body. She did not push him away, or snap, or even try to realign herself so he took her pussy, instead. She just clenched her hands tighter, breath held, waiting.

Artemis found he held his own breath, and was almost dizzy when he felt the way give, the tip of his cock suddenly popping through, stretching the hole to accommodate his girth, closing back down as the ridge passed inside her. It held him so _tight_ , he almost lost control in that moment, and it was only with the most herculean of efforts that Artemis did not begin to shoot before he had even made one good thrust.

"Don't move," Holly gasped, and Artemis was thankful she had given this order, rather than the opposite. "Don't...gods, don't..."

"Holly?" Artemis said tentatively. He had never heard that tone from the woman. "Are...are you alright? Let me..." He began to pull out.

"No!" She yelped, somewhere between pain and panic, muscles clamping down. "No, don't...just...don't move." She had her forehead resting against the arm of the couch. She groaned and took deep breaths. "Don't...move...Artemis..."

"What do you want, Holly?" Reaching up, Artemis rubbed a hand on the woman's back, trying to sooth her. The eroticism of the moment had been broken by her reaction, and he would have willingly pulled out if she gave such an order.

Instead, she shook her head. "Just...stay _completely_ still, okay? I'm...I'm gonna move back on you."

"You..." He looked down at where their bodies met, that little bit of his cock disappearing into her, and nodded. "If you wish, Holly."

" _Don't move_ ," she said, once again, and completely unnecessarily. Artemis could not have moved if she'd ordered him to do so. As much as what they were doing was part of nearly every man's top ten fantasy list, the idea that Holly was in any sort of pain made his skin crawl.

Thus, it was her that had to make thing progress, and she did so by pressing back on him. Gently, at first, making his hips move away from her just as much as her buttocks approached. Then she moved with an increment more of intent, and she felt a stinging stretch in her ass as another inch of him slid in. She stopped moving, biting at her wrist, breathing hard as she adjusted. It wasn't terribly painful...but it certainly wasn't doing much for her. And it wasn't constant. Or even matched with moving. It was only when Holly stopped that it hit her, stinging, then slightly burning, and then just uncomfortable for several seconds before it was...halfway to natural. When she was collected and relaxing, she tried again, gaining another half-inch. Then another.

It took just a minute or two, but all the while Artemis was asking her if she was okay. She nodded, but it was something of a lie, as it still felt strange to have something entering her where nothing had ever been allowed to delve. With a final, hard backwards push, and a strangled cry, Holly felt her ass nestle against Artemis's hips, and she knew there was no further she could go. It would have felt triumphant, if it didn't also feel completely bizarre

When Artemis realized that Holly had actually stopped, he felt that familiar ache of denied pleasure deep in his balls. He wanted to keep moving. To feel that unbelievable tightness sliding back along his cock, looking down all the while to see himself move in and out of Holly's ass. But she wasn't _moving_ and he wasn't _allowed_ to move himself. Was this what anal sex would be like? Forced to wait until some tiny trigger tipped him over the edge for a friction-less orgasm? He knew that could not be right. He'd seen porn before, and, while he knew that Holly was no erotica actress (though perhaps she was his personal porn star), the few videos he'd watched most definitely showed that men could _thrust_ during the act.

How to broach the subject...how to get what he wanted?

Tenderly (or with false tenderness, considering his motives), Artemis continued rubbing Holly's back in long, soft strokes. "Holly? Are you all right?"

After a long pause, she nodded. "Yes. Sort of. I, uh...apparently need to read up on this before we try it again."

"Read?" Artemis replied, and the traitorous thought that Holly was not the designated reader in the relationship did cross his mind, but he managed to keep his incredulity out of his tone. "I suppose, but...surely you know...something?"

"Not...really," Holly confessed, feeling herself relax with the distraction of talk. "I've never actually...tried this."

"Oh," Artemis said softly. "Shall I...find some lubricant?" The nearest bottle was in the kitchen (Holly had managed to "convince" him about some options), which felt like miles when he was balls-deep in the elf's ass.

After a torturous pause, Holly shook her head. "No. Plenty wet. Just...gotta...relax a bit. Stretch."

Holly really should have given Artemis some warning before she started moving again. He nearly gave an undignified screech as she pulled on the couch arm, dragging herself off Artemis's erection, only taking a few seconds instead of a full minute, as with penetration, ending when she felt the widening of Artemis's frenulum.

"Little...better," she said with a brave smile, looking over her shoulder at her lover.

Artemis tried to not drool like he'd developed massive head trauma.

She laughed, and suddenly the adjustment period was well worth it. "Okay...and..." Holly pushed back. Faster. Her breath dragging in as she engulfed Artemis's cock. Then barely eking out as she pulled off. Over and over. A little faster each time. With each repetition, there was less pain, less a feeling of being stretched. And, as her anxiety disappeared, her muscles relaxed further. Less stretching, less pain, less anxiety, until her movements were almost smooth and without pause.

Then she stopped.

Artemis got a grip on Holly's hips, and it was hard enough to press her skin rather deeply. "Don't stop, _please,"_ he begged, no longer caring about Fowl dignity.

Holly laughed once more and, though Artemis couldn't see, she smirked in a particular Fowl manner. "No."

Her lover barely had time to keen before she continued. "Fuck me, Artemis. Fuck my ass."

Whether Artemis heard the order or just took matters into his own hands, he was too gone to give a vocal response. His hips jerked forward, sheathing himself at twice Holly's best speed.

"Fuck!" Her entire body seemed to jerk with the surprise. It didn't hurt, but _d'arvit!_

Artemis had pulled out just as fast, then thrust in again. He gave Holly no time to adjust. Just fast jerks, hard thrusts. Gnommish was forgotten, the elf reduced to grunts of exertion and pleasure and possession, like a stallion with a fine, virgin mare.

Holly coached herself, forcing herself to keep relaxing as her ass was practically abused. Alarming as it was, it was starting to be, in some small way, pleasurable. She would never climax from anal alone, but if she had not finished just minutes earlier she could have easily fingered and rubbed herself over the edge. It wasn't that the thickness of his cock in her tightest hole was affecting her; it was how _forbidden_ it seemed, letting him use this part of her after refusing it to every other man she'd been with. It was the one act fairies were perhaps more secretive about than the Mud Men, just as they refused to keep recycling lounges indoors. It was something for _bad_ fairies.

Artemis didn't know Holly's thoughts, and likely wouldn't have assisted in pleasuring her if he did know. He was pure need, now, and that was rising. Overflowing. They had been at it a rather long time, thanks to Holly's adjusting and his patience, and now he _needed_ to finish and fill her with his seed.

On autopilot, Artemis took a hand from Holly's hip, the other increasing its grip to compensate and keep his woman there to be used.

Sensing the change, her ears tingling, Holly shot a look over her shoulder. "Artemis, wh—"

The hand came down, it's impact louder than the grunting and moans and wet bodies. Holly could swear time slowed so she could watch as it approached and then impacted and—what felt like several seconds later—a brief shock of pain burst over her. She cried out. Something. His name? A curse? Complete and utter nonsense?

Whatever it was, Artemis took a final thrust, pressing as deep into Holly as he could, reaching up with the hand from her hip to grasp her shoulder, pulling to force her further onto his shaft. Holly could feel his cock jerking and, seconds later, a warm sensation as he spilled deep in her. The pulse of semen made her hole stretch an extra millimeter with each spurt.

It seemed he'd forgotten to breath upon climax, as, some seconds later, Artemis let out all his air in a great whoosh, smiling widely as he breathed back in. His hair had fallen into his eyes, and he swayed slightly as he pulled out. He looked perhaps more foolish than he ever had in his life.

Which was fitting. As he didn't have the sense to run.

" _What_ do you think you're doing?"

If anything can kill male post-orgasmic bliss, it is an angry woman. "I...am..." Artemis's eyes alighted upon his right hand on Holly's tight buttock. He snatched it away, as if to remove the evidence, but he merely revealed a very well-defined hand-print, white on the inside, outlined in red. "I—"

Holly turned, rising up so she could equal (or get close to equaling) Artemis's height. "What, did you think you could get away with it because you're Artemis-Fucking-Fowl?"

"Holly, I'm sorry, I—"

Holly jabbed a finger into Artemis's chest, making him lean back until he completely fell over, lying on the couch as if he was presenting his belly in submission. "That is _not_ okay! You do not do that to a girl!"

"—didn't intend for that to happen, it was just—"

"We've never even _discussed_ that! Shesh, give a girl some warning, next time!"

"—pure instinct, I would never do that nor...ma...luh?" Artemis gaped.

Holly rubbed her sore buttock, but didn't think it a mark worthy of magic. "Just like a stupid _Mud Man_ , acting like you can get away with anything. Well you can't, Mister!" Still rubbing her hot skin, Holly thrust a finger into Artemis's face. "You... _you..._ "

Artemis tried to ooze into the cushions and escape, as if the finger was loaded.

"You're sleeping on the couch!"

Artemis gaped.

Reclaiming her pants, but not putting them on, Holly stood, glaring down at her unwise lover. "Let a night of back pain teach you a lesson!"

Before Artemis had a chance to respond, Holly turned and stormed from the living room, the hand-print on her buttock swaying with the natural movement of her hips, as if her ass was waving goodbye.

Artemis waited until Holly was long gone before he relaxed a little, figuring himself safe from immediate immolation. He rubbed a hand over his face, sighing. He should probably go clean off. And try to apologize to Holly.

He smiled, instead. He couldn't help it.

_Give a girl some warning, next time._


	8. Showing Restraint

Women claim to be in a romantic relationship for many reasons. "Love," they will say with far-off eyes and a long sigh. "Comfort," while wrapping their arms about themselves and rocking to-and-fro. "Familiarity," they may mumble as they down a shot. "Security," they grouse as their unemployment check comes in.

These are all dirty, _dirty_ lies. Horrible, unnecessary lies. Anyone who has _ever_ been in a relationship, if prodded enough, will tell you the true reason. The one thing that makes all of the work and pain, screaming and tears, sacrifices and compromises worthwhile. One. Simple. Thing.

Massages.

Free massages on demand.

Don't you _dare_ deny it until you've been in a long-term relationship. You don't even _know_.

Of course, perks must be _given_ as well as received. However, here is the relationship secret of men: while massaging their mate may be a hard skill to acquire, and constantly requested once mastered...it means they get to touch a naked woman.

See? Win-win situation.

Holly had greatly enjoyed this little benefit of dating whenever she got far enough into relationships to feel easy around her current mate. Dating Artemis Fowl seemed like a guaranteed disqualification from that pleasure. Fowl _received_ massages; he did not _give_ them. Still, she had requested one from her boy not long after they first consummated their relationship.

He, predictably, sucked.

Holly didn't say anything against his hands, but Artemis was a master reader of body language. He had sulked for a few hours, refusing to speak of the poor comfort he provided.

The next evening, Holly visited Artemis's house (she found that her own apartment was quickly growing neglected with all of their sleepless sleepovers) and was amused to note a book of massage techniques sitting on his coffee table. Preparing all of her diplomatic skills so she could lie to her lover's face about his abilities, Holly submitted to another rub-down.

When her molecules managed to rearrange themselves into the rough semblance of a female elf, Holly had informed Artemis that he had better not blow off his hands in the Ops Booth, as she would be needing them for her own purposes from then on. Artemis nodded, smug.

Thus it was, several months into Artemis's residence in Haven, that Holly appeared in his home office and informed him that she'd just had a _hell_ of a day.

Jayjay, who was perched with hind legs on Artemis's shoulder, front legs on the massive terrarium that belonged to his roomie, Taco the tarantula, looked up from his inspection of the arachnids tropical home. He chittered in Artemis's ear, to which the elf nodded. Quite put-out for a pseudo-simian, Jayjay hopped off and scaled the cat tree placed next to Artemis's computer desk. Flopping into the hammock at the very top, Jayjay threw a reproachful look over the fluffy edge at Holly. He did not enjoy being locked out of any room, but knew from experience that he would be _thrown_ from the bedroom in certain circumstances.

Artemis finished dropping food into the terrarium before he went to his mate's side. Wrapping her up in his arms, Artemis gave his hard-won prize a soft kiss on the forehead. "Section 8?"

"I _wish_ ," Holly moaned as Artemis's tightened his hold, making her back pop several times. "Ahhhh...no. Just desk work."

"Well, I've seen your posture. No wonder you're always in pain."

"Artemiiiiiis," Holly whined without any sense of decorum. "Don't _lecture_ me. _Fix it!"_

"Fine, fine," he conceded turning her around and pushing. "But only because I love you."

Holly cheered and moved swiftly down the hall, shedding her office jacket once inside the bedroom, hanging it from the footboard. Just as she hopped onto the bed, sitting back on her knees, working on the buttons of her shirt, Artemis joined her.

He brushed her hands away, pulling the woman's hips until she pressed against his chest. "You'll owe me for this."

Holly closed her eyes and let her head fall back, resting on her lover's shoulder. Her stomach twitched and tensed as he loosed more of her buttons, the release rising towards her breasts. "Sure, but I am nowhere as good at massaging as you."

Leaving a few of the buttons still in place, Artemis slipped both hands up Holly's green shirt. She wore no bra, and the brush of the cotton had made her nipples stay hard all day, but careful pinching and brushes turned them into tender rubies. Once they were pert to his satisfaction, Artemis focused on the rest of her breasts, cupping them to feel their weight.

"Well, I won't be very difficult," he murmured, putting his mouth to her ear, "I'm only tense in one place." Swirling his tongue briefly over the outline of Holly's ear, he brought the nimble flesh into a tighter circle, playing about the entrance to her ear canal, jut as he had so often played with a much better entrance. When his mate gasped, he laughed, crushing her against his chest, thrusting his hips against her backside. "Fair is fair."

"O-oh?" Holly tried to speak casually, but was thwarted by the hardness at her buttocks and the softness playing with her ear. "I think I can help with that."

"Excellent," Artemis suckled Holly's ear-tip, releasing the last buttons. He let his nails scratch along her arms as he pulled her shirt off. For a moment, he considered doing the same to her pants, but realized that such a move would make it impossible for him to concentrate on his assignment. He had needs, but he also must make sure his partner's needs were taken care of. Instead, he peeled off his own shirt, reveling as he met her skin with so much of his own.

He returned his hands to Holly's chest, but now he wasn't fondling, but working on the muscles. The knots around her collarbone were not very difficult, but a journey south to her abdomen posed a significant challenge. She carried a lot of her tension there, and he had to be careful as he worked, not having the platform of bone to press against, instead coming across her soft, easily damaged tissues.

As he felt the last bit of unnatural hardness melt away, Artemis decided to indulge himself. He tucked one hand under the waistband of Holly's slacks. When he felt a brush of hair, he moaned, grinding against her. " _No_ undergarments, love? Did you plan on seducing me tonight?"

Holly nodded, but said nothing, praying that his hands would move on and rub through her moist slit. She had been day-dreaming about this for hours, and it felt like she would tumble over the edge at the slightest touch.

Artemis bit the woman's neck harshly, making her gasp and whimper his name. In response, he breathed in quickly, growling at the end. He needed to maintain some self-control, but all he wanted to do was tear this temptress's few remaining items of clothing off and slam into her until she clenched around him, pulling him to his own orgasm. He _loved_ releasing inside her, each hard thrust coating her insides with his seed.

Tearing his mouth and hand away, Artemis gritted his teeth. "Minx," he snarled, pushing Holly's back. She had only enough time to put her hands out in front of herself, cushioning the fall slightly before her chest hit the thick, dark blue duvet.

Artemis fell after her, covering the woman's hands with his own, keeping her in place on her knees. He ground against her ass and hissed in her ear. "I'm going to make you scream, my love."

She moaned and pushed back against him. It took a lot to get the stoic genius to let his fire out, but the effort was entirely worth it. The last time he had been in this state, Holly had spent so long under his thrusts that, by the time he finally finished and pulled out, she instantly fell into a deep sleep.

"But first," he went on, taking his hands off hers, resting them on the woman's back, "I have a job to do." He pressed until her arms slipped out from under her, flattening Holly to the bed.

Holly was torn. Insist that he take her now and be sore as she came, or wait and feel deliciously unwound? Before she could deliberate too far, Artemis leaned sideways, rifling in his bedside table. He removed a small bottle. When it's top was popped open, the smell of almonds filled the room.

Holly moaned. _The almond stuff!_

Artemis had bought several types of massage oil, but this was by far her favorite. The smell reminded the woman of her favorite amaretto, which she was only able to indulge in about as often as Artemis allowed her the pleasure of this oil. It was not the smell that enticed her, however. The true glory of the liquid came when Artemis coated his hands and lay them on her shoulders, beginning to rub.

It tingled, at first, as if a dash of mint was in the mixture, and it awakened her skin to his touch. A few seconds of friction later, the other benefit of the oil was released: a warmth that grew and sunk deep into her muscles, turning the hard cords into something soft and supple. It cut the time Artemis needed to relieve her in half, but he did not lessen the time he spent on each small portion of her back, instead lingering, working his fingers deep in.

By the time her shoulders were loose, Holly was moaning, which made Artemis rumble with soft laughter. "You are so easy to please, my love."

"It's that stuff...why don't you use it on my all the time?"

"Now, now," Artemis chided, moving on to her lower back, digging his thumbs in to counteract the rigidness brought about by her poor posture. "We can not let you indulge too much. Then it becomes common, and you cease to appreciate it. When something is rare, it is a treat."

Holly snorted, partially because Artemis had begin to slide his hands up her sides, hitting one of her ticklish spots. "A lecture on temperance from you, Arty? You are the least-restrained man I ever met. If you want something, you just take it."

He hummed in agreement, pushing up her back with the balls of his fist, making Holly's spine crack in several more places. "I suppose you are my proof." He leaned over, chest brushing along her moist skin as he cupped his hands around her arms. He slid along, moving back and forth as he took all of the strength and pain from her.

"Mmmm...I suppose you mean the siege? That was gold, not me. And if you mean your transformation, I rather think _I_ got what I wanted."

"No..." Artemis said, rubbing his hands on Holly's wrists. "I mean..." he let her go, leaning a fraction further. "This."

If Holly had taken that sound recognition course the other top LEP officers raved about, perhaps she would have reacted a fraction faster, but even that wouldn't have saved her. She head the rapid clicks and felt something tighten around her wrists before instinct took over. Rising to her knees, she leaned back as far as she could manage. This was not far. Pain attacked her wrists, making the major cry out. She knew what had happened in an instant.

"D'arvit! Artemis, what in all of the _hells_ are you doing? Get these things _off!_ " She looked down at her hands, which were now held at opposite ends of the bed, encircled by a pair of LEP Traffic cuffs. Holly dimly reflected that this was the second time she had been handcuffed in Artemis's presence, but these bonds were much closer to the Mud Man idea, as Traffic rarely had to deal with dangerous criminals that required the thicker ties Koboi had used. That did not make them any easier to escape.

Artemis brought his hands back to Holly's shoulders, squeezing them. "Oh, do calm down. You'll hurt yourself if you keep struggling."

"I am not the one who is going to be hurt, _cowpog!_ " She grabbed the headboard's bars, shaking them until they began to crash into the wall, leaving two dents where the rails were topped by metal spheres. She could care less about damaging Artemis's house, at the moment. It would serve him right.

"Do you remember...that little story I wrote for you?" Artemis queried, wrapping his arms around her waist, keeping as close to her as he could, to avoid her dangerous legs. She wouldn't risk a head-butt, as it could knock him out, but he had no illusions about her willingness to strike out at other portions of his body.

Holly's buttocks clenched. He _wouldn't_. "I told you, I won't let you tie me up, so let me go!"

Artemis nodded, moving his hands along Holly's sides and stomach, lingering in the spots that made her squirm and bite her lip. Tickling the woman while she could not escape was an enticing idea, but he was impatient. So he moved on, rubbing his slick hands just under her breasts. "When you were done reading and said that, I told you that you couldn't resist me."

Holly felt that familiar tingle of mint on her skin, seeping up into her breasts. She thrashed, trying to escape the touch and what she knew it would bring.

"I'm afraid that was a lie." Artemis brought his hands up, delicately scratching at her collarbone. "You may certainly resist me. It just won't do you any good."

It started. The mint tingle disappeared as Holly's chest began to warm, the feeling transferring from above and below to almost her entire torso. _Almost._ Her peaks, still so hard, felt ice cold without a direct touch. Holly gritted her teeth, unwilling to give her lover the satisfaction of knowing that he could make her body respond in defiance of her will.

Her silence (and, thus, lack of foul language) was clue enough for Artemis. He hummed in approval. "This will be so much easier if you cooperate."

Snarling, Holly threw her body back, wrists stinging as the cuffs bit into her. The outburst was futile and short-lived, but Holly remained tensed against the restraints. "Artemis, I am going to _kill_ you!"

He chuckled, barely escaping her backwards body slam, and tightened his grip on her torso, eliminating the chance that she would move back for another attack. "It may be easier if you cooperate...but I must say, I will find it _so_ much more _fun_ if you don't, so it doesn't really matter to me."

Before Holly could rain down more verbal abuse, Artemis reached up with one hand, sliding its slickness along the side of her breast, over a shoulder, along her neck, and to the promised land: his lover's ear. His fingers moved swiftly over the curved and pointed flesh, coating it with the minimum of effort. This accomplished, he draped his arm about her neck, nuzzling in to await her reaction.

Holly had been only somewhat distracted by the brushing, but was ready to renew her protests when the former human's hands moved away. Then...the tingling started.

She breathed in quickly, almost without sound, shocked at the sensation. Ear-play would drag all of her body into one small location, making her completely forget any touch but those placed on her most erogenous zones. This, however... _gods_. She was aware of every part of her ear, and the tickling tingle was not so much pleasurable, but promising pleasure, and thus pure torture. Each minty prick felt as if a fingertip had tapped her flesh for the barest millisecond, the combine effect like that of a dozen hands teasing her.

Holly bit her lip. She was _not_ going to cry out, even though that was suddenly the only thing she wanted to do. Her back and chest, already coated and warm, suddenly seemed to burn, keeping her from forgetting the rest of her body, making the touches she did enjoy all the more horrible in their lack of fulfillment.

Artemis watched his lover, feeling her muscles tighten under his arms as she attempted to retain control. "I tried this on myself a few days ago, I'm ashamed to admit. I did not have nearly so much resolve as you appear to." Groping blindly at his side, Artemis picked up the bottle of oil. He dispersed a single drop of oil onto his fingertips, well aware that a little would go a long way. "Of course," Artemis went on, spreading the liquid over his hand, "I wasn't _kept_ from doing anything, so perhaps you shouldn't be too highly commended. Or so cruelly denied." Briskly rubbing his hands together, Artemis let Holly's torso go, taking hold of her ears a second later. He coated the one that had been ignored, and then began to twist his fingers, rubbing away the tingles.

Holly had only a moment without the prickling before the heat began to spread. It sunk into every cell of her thin ears, sending shoots of fire down her back and to her unguarded breasts. She could hold back no longer. She cried out, at first incoherently, then in short words. Finally, she managed this: "Artemis... _good_." She let her head hang, no power left in her body to do more than remain kneeling, and licked her lips between long pants. Her hips thrust against the air. Some deep recess of her mind scolded her for bending to her twice-captor, but that part of her mind was drowned out by the rest of her body, which screamed for more.

"Of course it is." Knowing that the warmth would not dissipate too soon, Artemis decided to leave Holly's ears alone, seeking other areas. Areas he loved far more. He let his hand fall, leaving a tingling trail of oil on her neck and collar. Then he found her breasts, and even he could not suppress a small moan as he took the small orbs into his hands, feeling their weight. "You are making me impatient, love." He thrust against her buttocks, groaning as his aching erection gained that small, thoroughly inadequate bit of friction.

Circling his hands about her soft mounds, he spread the oil, rubbing to activate the heat. He avoided only one part of her during this ministration: her hard, pink nipples. At the very end of his attentions, almost all of Holly's breasts now on fire, he picked up the bottle of oil again. Carefully, he dripped a single tear of oil onto one of Holly's pert, aching buds.

It took a moment to begin working. When it did, Holly curved her entire body, trying to bring her chest away from Artemis's reach, though this only meant she leaned further back into his embrace. "Not fair!"

"I really don't care," Artemis replied, tipping the bottle to repeat the procedure. When he closed in, Holly shook her head, trying to deny him. When Artemis did not stop, she looked down at her shining skin and waited until the first shimmer of oil appeared on the bottle's lip.

Swiftly, Holly leaned back, pressing against Artemis's chest. It was a small move, but just enough, and the oil ran harmlessly down her stomach.

Artemis growled in disgust. "That was wasteful! You need to hold _still!_ " He wrapped his arm about her chest, securing the woman to his body. Holly writhed against him as the oil tipped again, but there was no escape. Rather than dripping, the bottle squirted, hitting its target in a short burst, excess flowing down Holly's breast and abs.

Artemis caught the stream before it was absorbed by her remaining clothes. He glanced between his drenched hand and the bottle, clicking the top closed with a sigh and tossing it aside. "Ah, well. I shall just have to make the best use of this that I can."

He spread the oil across Holly's stomach, swiftly working in the heat. There was still more, so her rubbed along her neck and arms, past the cuffs, twining their fingers together. Finding his mate thoroughly covered in oil from the waist up, glowing like a goddess, moaning like a beast, and himself still in possession of a very slick hand, Artemis faced a dilemma.

"Hmmm...I do wonder..." Artemis tucked an arm under Holly's, curving it to traverse her stomach until he clutched at a breast, pulling his lover tight against his body. His other hand...descended.

Holly groaned as realization hit her. "A-Artemis, please, _don't._ " It was a weak sound, with no heart in it. Almost as if she were only performing a duty by protesting in this manner.

Artemis did not respond. Fingers clumsy from the oil, he worked on the button of Holly's slacks. After several tries, he popped it loose, purring and biting his woman's neck at this minor triumph, which made her whimper. The zipper was easier, coming down in one long, loud movement, allowing either side to be folded neatly out of the way. Then Artemis slid his hand inside the slacks, over Holly's small stomach mound, and further.

He found her clitoris easily. Her spread legs made her lips easy to part with just one hand, and within he found the small hardness. He wasted no time in attacking it, not even bothering to let the mint prickling drive her mad. With thumb and forefinger, he pinched and rubbed it, following its trail of hidden tissue along her slit, bringing the entire organ alive to its roots before returning to the bud.

"Oh, goooooooods. Artemis!" Holly moved against his hand, sobbing. "Make me cum!"

Artemis growled, biting her harder. "That _is_ my goal." The hand that had restrained her now transferred between her breasts, alternately massaging and barely brushing. Always he avoided her nipples, even as he squeezed the mounds, thrusting against his mate's ass, longing for his own release. But...ladies first, after all.

"Ah-ah-Artemis!" Holly cried, pulling at the cuffs as she tried to get even closer to his body, as if it were even possible. "I going to...I'm so...oh, gods!" She threw her head back. "Oh, gods, I'm cumming!"

Artemis could feel her throbbing beneath his fingers, tender clit practically jerking under his touch. Inside, she clenched, trying to milk the cock that was absent, but so longed for. She whined, wordlessly begging to be filled before it was too late, but Artemis did not sink his fingers into his prize, merely working to keep her orgasm going as long as possible. He soon had to stop thrusting against her, knowing he would fall over his own precipice if allowed such an instinctive rut.

Sooner than Artemis liked, Holly's clit became extra-tender, forcing her to squirm away from his fingers. He wanted to follow her movements and continue toying with her, but knew this retreat was because she had become far to sensitive. It would be actually painful to her for the next few minutes and—while he was entirely enjoying the bondage—Artemis was not a sadist.

This by no means meant that he was done with his captive. While she was still without strength, Artemis grabbed the side belt loops of her slacks, working them down alternately. He had to pause as her rear and sex were exposed, pressing against her and leaning over, nipping the nape of Holly's neck. This seemed to rouse her, but only enough to make her again tug on the cuffs, their metallic clatter like a sweet music. Before she regained too much strength, Artemis continued to move the slacks down until they rested around her knees .

Now was the tricky part. Artemis ran a hand along the back of Holly's thigh, starting high and teasing down. As he came to the divot at the back of her knee, he pulled back, lifting the leg.

Holly tilted, unbalance. She was even more thrown off as her captor tugged half of her slacks down past the curve of her knee. Realizing that she was being disrobed, not released, Holly tugged at her cuffs, cursing. The tug set the still slightly-woozy woman even further off balance, and she began to fall sideways. Spreading her arms for stability, she landed on her left forearm. Just as she was trying to push herself up again, Artemis set the leg he held down, tugging on the other side. Then the slacks were gone and Artemis laughed in triumph.

To Holly, the cry did not sound satisfied, but sinister. She was wearing only her acorn pendant and the Book, which dangled, jingling with every movement, between her breasts. They did not have far to dangle, as her chest was already so close to the bed that her nipples brushed the satin sheets whenever she breathed. The only things keeping her from collapsing onto the covers were her forearms, and she tucked them as close to her body as she could manage, to increase her stability. With a rush of horror, Holly realized that her back was angling into the air, curving at her buttocks, which were high and unprotected, and then curving back down to her legs, which were widely parted. Artemis had complete access to her, and Holly knew this had always been his objective: distract her with pleasure until she was unable to act with her combat swiftness when he put her into a prone state.

Before Holly could unfold her bent legs and fall flat to the bed, Artemis was behind her, keeping the lower half of her legs in place with his ankles, which he draped over hers, careful to keep from putting undue pressure on his small lover. "This, my love...is the finest sight I have ever seen." He extended his approval from sight to touch, resting the backs of his hands on her firm buttocks, stroking down on her curves, and then flipping his hand over to cup the flesh as he came back up, squeezing and pulling her apart so he could inspect her sex and the tiny hole just higher. "If you were a sculpture, I'd call you a masterpiece." The oil that remained on his digits began to make Holly's rear grow warm, the dim glow of the bedroom lights turning her brown skin almost golden.

Holly bit the bedsheets, fighting off a moan. She was _not_ some bitch in heat, even if she could still feel her insides clenching, seeking penetration after being rubbed to orgasm. She cursed her body for being so willing to forgive her captor. "Artemis," she growled around the duvet, "let me _go_."

Pinching one of Holly's cheeks and sighing when she responded with an outraged yelp, Artemis shook his head. "I think...not." His hands massaged down to Holly's tensed thighs, then back again to her ass, hands repeatedly following the slow, delicious circuit. He only paused to pinch, leaving small pink marks all across her rear. "Unless you become too tired to move, I am afraid you will attack me, once free. So..."

When Artemis moved, Holly almost screamed.

It was a simple maneuver. Artemis merely sunk a finger into his lover, holding it in place. The pause gave the oil a chance to settle, and Holly felt a tingle all across her entrance and folds. She had often suffered the "itch that cannot be scratched" before taking on her friend as a lover, but had thought it banished for good after their first joining. Now here it was, and brought on by the very elf she had thought her savior. She shook, trying to fight the feeling off, even as her body began to shake, urging her to rock back against the finger.

"How many orgasms," Artemis said, more to himself than to his lover, "will it take to tire you?" He removed his finger, but soon replaced it with two, laughing as Holly squeaked into his bed. "You've had an exhausting day, you said, and that first climax looked phenomenal, if I may flatter myself. I'm guessing...two more" He began to pump his fingers in his captive, slowly, but as deep as he could reach.

Hot. _Very_ hot. Holly's pussy felt like it had been filled with an iron rod straight from the forge. She had not had a chance to fully come down from her first climax, and the finger-fucking was dragging her back to a mindless, needful state. Forcing her to a new peak as her need for penetration was halfway fulfilled. She would have begged for something bigger and thicker— preferably able to pulse inside her with a heartbeat and liquid release—if her vanity allowed it.

Artemis changed the angle of thrust with each movement, hitting every spot on her tight entrance and the wetness beyond. Soon, though, he began to concentrate the tips of his fingers on one spot. With every touch, Holly felt an almost uncomfortable pressure building within her, subsiding for a moment before hitting her again.

"You are going to cum for me, Holly," Artemis stated, his teeth gritted. The sigh of her presented and so repeatedly filled with his fingers made Artemis's cock ache. He doubted he had the self-restraint to keep fucking her through two orgasms, if he should attempt to mount her now. One hard massage on his member would finish him, no matter what he did. It was vital to complete her once before he could fully enjoy her. "I can tell you want it, my love. Let go."

Holly was furious. Artemis was right; she needed this climax desperately. Regardless of whether he had captured her, if she was freed now, she would not go home in a rage, but force him onto his back and grind upon her lover until she finished with a scream that would knock plaster from the walls. Her pride could only hold up for so long.

With a cry of frustration, Holly began to move her hips back to meet Artemis's long fingers, urging him on.

Finding that his captive had finally let down her guard and accepted his treatment, Artemis knew he only had seconds before he also lost control. She was far too tempting, glowing with oil and moaning without reserve. Artemis sat up until his groin pressed close to Holly's ass, reaching around her waist with his unoccupied hand. He found his goal and, with one long rub, it was all over. She was screaming and telling him she was cumming, and he could feel the truth around his fingers.

 _Now_.

Artemis removed his hands, digging his fingers into Holly's waist, and thrust all of his cock in with one jerk of his hips. He shuddered, head thrown back, and croaked out a moan. With Holly still spasming, he began to thrust in deep strokes, knowing full well that she could take his entire length without pain, and he was desperate to give it to her.

Artemis found that his plan had backfired on a small facet. The oil still in Holly, already activated, began to heat his length. It was, by far, the best thing he had ever felt in his life. Holly's wetness, the oil's heat, and muscles still squeezing around him. There could be no holding back when faced with such ecstasy. Artemis pulled back, member almost slipping free, and thrust hard, making Holly cry out in shock. A bare second later, he repeated the move, hips slamming into Holly's ass with a loud smack. It went on and on, the wet sounds of their bodies impacting, along with Holly's continued cries, escaping the room to fill the entire house.

He could feel her closing in again. Her walls had paused, as if in anticipation. Just one more stimuli on her already overwhelmed body, and she would be gone again, and Artemis knew he would follow after.

"Cum on me, Holly," he growled, leaning over so his stomach pressed to her back. "Cum on me, gods dammit!" Growling, Artemis sunk his teeth into the curve of Holly's neck, claiming her and making the smaller elf cry out in pain.

With the next thrust, Holly's cry transformed. There were no words to confirm her climax, but it was undeniable. She shrieked, shaking as she orgasmed a third time, massaging Artemis's cock. She grabbed onto the headboard's bars to try and relieve some of the pressure overtaking her. It felt like she would crush her lover inside her, but Artemis only moaned, letting out a ragged " _Holly_ , I'm—" Then he burst, his cum joining with her wetness, the force of the thrusts sending his seed deep into her womb, the fluid oddly cool in her oil-heated pussy. He struggled against her, determined to be as far embedded in his mate as possible while he emptied, body responding to an instinctive (if useless) desire to get the lithe goddess with child. She responded by pushing back, yelping once as he tapped against her cervix, then growling in appreciation at the fullness of their coupling.

After what felt like an eternity locked together, Artemis took a ragged breath. He kissed Holly's neck, healing the love bite he had made so deep during his loss of control. He felt somewhat ashamed at the ungentlemanly behavior, and so tried to be a bit more courteous. "Tired?" he inquired, rubbing Holly's sides, blushing. Most uncouth. Shocking, even.

Holly nodded, unable to speak.

Immeasurably relieved by the confirmation, Artemis made a clumsy dismount. His entire front was damp with oil, and he could only imagine how Holly felt. If she was anywhere near as spent as he, however, she would be lucky to stand long enough for a shower before bed.

After a brief search in his bedside table, Artemis produced the cuff key, swiftly releasing his prey. He rubbed Holly's wrists, kissing them as her self-induced bruises healed. Then he collapsed onto his side next to the woman, resolved to die happy, if that was her decision.

She did not spring immediately. Holly narrowed her eyes at Artemis, getting her breath back to normal. "That...was... _mean._ "

Artemis nodded, then shrugged. "I must remind you that you _agreed_ to be with me. I am not precisely the nicest man about."

"Yes," Holly rumbled, displaying her reserves of strength by rising off her forearms and onto her knees, towering over her former captor. "And I think it only fair to remind you that you agreed to be with _me."_ She fell upon him with fire in her eyes.

Artemis let his lids fall. Death would be sweet.

Death did not come. Instead, there was this sound: _ka-lick_.

Artemis felt the bottom of his stomach fall out. He knew the sound. Despite that, he opened his eyes, needing visual confirmation.

Around one of his wrists, shining and undeniable, was a handcuff.

"Holly!" Artemis snapped sternly. "Let me go this instant!"

Before he could react further, Holly snatched the key from his hand, jumping off the bed. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Arty." She sounded mournful as she located and donned her garments. "It's an issue of pride."

" _Pride_?" Artemis yelled, using his free hand to shake the cuff in the dim hope he would find it loose. "D'arvit, let me go! Pride!"

"Yes," Holly said, wriggling into her slacks. "You should never cuff a cop." Now..." With iron strength, Holly took Artemis's other hand, moving it to the opposite side of the headboard and securing it with the second cuff. "That should hold you." Humming happily, she left the bedside to look for more clothes.

Artemis, arms spread, on his back, and completely nude, felt less than at ease. "H-holly," he stammered, pushing up so his elbows supported his weight, tracking his lover's movements. "This isn't funny. Let me go!"

"No can do," Holly sighed, hands flying up her shirt buttons. "That was technically a crime, you know. A civilian using handcuffs on an officer of the law. You should thank me for being lenient. Ah! There it is!" Bending, Holly picked something up from the floor, slipping into her shoes as she rose. "And just enough!" Holly held out the nearly empty bottle of massage oil.

Artemis felt cold. Exposed. Defenseless. "Holly. What are you doing?"

She laughed, snapping the lid open. "Taking justice into my own hands." She grabbed Artemis's chin to keep him from struggling. With great care, Holly tipped the bottle over, letting a line of oil fall onto each of Artemis's ears.

She did not rub the oil in.

"D'arvit!" Artemis moaned, shaking his head in an attempt to rub the oil off. "This is not—what are you doing!" Artemis's voice rose to a panicked squeak.

Holly laughed using a corner of the bedsheets to clean the semen and her own juices from Artemis's cock. He had just climaxed, but he was a young elf, and he began to grow hard again with her touch. She encouraged him with a few tight-fisted strokes. "I am teaching you a lesson."

Carefully, Holly squirted out the last of the oil, letting it cover the head of Artemis's cock, oozing down until it trailed on his balls. When she saw from the look on his face that the tingling had begun, Holly softened, forgiving her lover.

That didn't mean she was going to let him go.

"Now," she said, crossing the room to pick up her jacket. "I'll just leave this on the table opposite the front door, shall I? That's not too far, is it?" She jingled the key.

"Frond dammit, Holly!" Artemis shouted, but there was a shrill, desperate quality to the words. "Give me that key!"

"And I'll leave this," Holly said, removing Artemis's cell phone from his discarded pants, twiddling it in the air, "right here!" She placed it on his bedside table. "You have voice commands installed, right? I thought so." Smiling cheerily, she gave her lover a slap on the hip. "I'm sure you can get someone to come by and free you, right? Foaly, N°1, maybe? I'll leave the back door unlocked, so they can get in."

"Holly!" Artemis cried as she turned her back and strode from the room with a small wave. "Holly, _please!_ " The tingling was already unbearable, making him writhe. " _HOLLY!"_

No response. Until a second later, when Artemis heard a door downstairs slam, the sound of a small engine starting up soon after, immediately beginning to fade into the distance.

"D'arvit," Artemis moaned, head falling back to the pillows. "I can't believe I fell for that..."

Then, a few minutes later, when all was silent in the house: "Jayjay?"


	9. Quick Study

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is me FINALLY paying back Headless Honcho for his assistance with the sound editing of "An Unexpected Turn of Events." I thank him for his patience and perversion.

**Chapter 9: Quick Study**

With the minor improper meshing of their schedules, it was inevitable that Artemis occasionally had to leave Holly asleep in his bed in the morning, the major looking angelic even as she murmured over the loss of his warmth. Similarly, he would arrive home early on these days, his hours shifted in direct proportion to his early arrival. During these times, he took the effort to tidy up the house (an act he would have considered too urbane for his own hands only months before) and “set the mood” before Holly arrived. Artemis was a bit better at this than most males, having advanced from the candles-as-romance stage.

No, nothing so obvious as candles. Not even the fairy equivalent of “Let's Get It On” (which, Artemis was horrified to learn, was sung by a dwarf distantly related to Mulch Diggums). He simply...cleared the way. Every possible location for a tryst was put in perfect readiness, with all the available cushions fluffed up (gods, if Foaly only knew what had been done with those decorative couch pillows, he would never look at Artemis straight again), each room sprayed with an odor-eliminator (nothing ruined the mood more than Holly saying, with her head pressed hard the carpet, that it smelled a lot like JayJay), and the lights programmed to be dimmed if turned on. Then, of course, he readied himself: freshly showered, clean-shaven, and bolstered with a light snack, to give him the energy necessary to keep up with his strong lady. Months together and there was still such a disparity in their stamina, and so many wonderful things to try if he could just keep going.

It seemed, however, he would not be allowed to experiment this night.

“Lili...what?” Artemis said flatly.

On the other end of the cell network, Holly sighed. “She just had a bad breakup—”

“We are talking of Lili Frond, correct?” Artemis interrupted. “How does she equate a one-night-stand with a 'bad breakup'?”

“Artemis!” Holly snapped. “Will you...ugh.” There was a rustle of hair as Holly shook her head. “Whatever. She and I are going out for a girl's night. Don't wait up for me, I'll probably sleep at the Mansion tonight.”

Artemis scowled. “And why will you not just come back here?”

The phone crackled as Holly sniffed loudly and indignantly. “I think you need a night alone every so often. You're getting...presumptuous.”

Artemis raised an eyebrow, even though he knew his lover could not see the gesture. “'Getting'?”

The line went abruptly dead.

Artemis gaped at his phone a moment before sliding it closed, pocketing it, and shrugging. At least he'd got in the last word.

To be fair to the man, Artemis had spent a handful of nights without his lover since the night they first shared pleasures. He found them...dull. Even a night with Holly but without sex was preferable to a night alone.

He considered calling to see if Trouble would also be available for an evening's entertainment (he had found himself tolerating the man, in recent weeks, and Holly strongly encouraged him whenever he seemed to be developing a friendship), but knew the elf would be on his own mission tonight. One involving a thick-tipped black marker and enough cheap ale to make his self-denial semi-plausible. Foaly was also an option, but for the fact that Artemis had already left the centaur manning the Ops booth, and he loathed returning to the Plaza, even for company. His family was on vacation, so the possibility of chatting with them was also out, since he was not allowed to communicate on unsecured lines.

Artemis realized something with a shock: he had become a... _social_ creature. In years previous, he would have met a night alone with a grateful sigh, one of Butler's expertly prepared cups of tea, and a book large enough to crush most purse-dwelling canines. Well...he could certainly do so now. A Bujold omnibus was located, the tea was passable for his own preparation, but the sigh was rather more a yawn, his choice of reading in bed the likely culprit. A sort of Pavlovian response, as he had hitherto only used this bed for two things, and the preferable activity was, apparently, not happening tonight.

He must have dozed off. Sometime later, he awoke as the mattress shifted under the slight weight of a well-maintained body. His felt significantly less cared-for as he sat up, blinking back sleep, the book slide down his bare chest. “Holly?” he inquired blearily.

Her soft face swam into view, the duplicitous eyes sparking delightfully. “Hey there, sleepyhead.”

Artemis felt that such a title lacked a lot of his accustomed dignity, but one did not argue with a lover too much. “I was under the impression that you wouldn't be joining me tonight.”

“Oh...well....” Holly hedged, tugging at the single, thin blue sheet Artemis had used to cover himself, easing it an inch down his torso, revealing a sparse swath of chest hair. “Lili and I got talking, you see, and she had this _great_ idea, so I thought I'd try it out.”

Artemis grinned. An idea from Lili? The last time Holly had come home with one of those, they'd both been too exhausted to leave the house that weekend.

“Right, Lili?” Holly said, looking over her shoulder.

Artemis's eyes nearly popped out as a figure somewhat thinner than Holly's (only due to a lack in equal musculature) leaned around the first woman, her arm circling the redhead's waist until she seemed to wrap the major up inescapably, her chin resting on her coworkers's shoulder. “Yep. And you were right, boss,” she said, scrunching up her nose as she smiled, showing off full red lips and perfect teeth. “He _does_ look cuter when he's sleeping. Imagine that.”

Artemis gaped. In most surprising situations, he could recover quickly, but awaking to unfamiliar women in his bed was not something he was used to. It was certainly nothing Butler had prepared him for (except perhaps an admonition to scream, because of that lady-assassin thing). Perhaps Trouble would have taken the event in stride, but Artemis was not a playboy, and he had mixed reactions. Both just so happened to focus on his genitals. Very soon, he would either piss himself or grow very...uncomfortable.

“Well?” Lili said impatiently. She pinched Holly's bare midriff, earning a yelp and glare for her impertinence. “Don't leave him like that. Poor boy looks about ready to run, and we don't want that, do we?”

“Not at all,” Holly agreed, disentangling herself from the blond. She began to crawl up the large bed, smooth skin whispering on the silken sheets. Each time her hand came down, she took a fistful of sheets, dragging them off Artemis's body inch-by-inch.

Artemis's hormones ordered him to focus on Holly, and they were mostly successful. She had put on a little makeup tonight, and her blue eyeshadow matched his eye perfectly, making the wickedness inherited from him all too noticeable. Lip gloss brought attention to her heavenly mouth, already slightly open, the tip of her tongue darting out to taste the sugar in the gel and further moisten the soft skin, making them look so wet that he could simply slide inside without an effort. Then his eyes drifted down Holly's face to find her criminally low-cut shirt. A borrowed item, no doubt, along with the black pleated skirt and...oh, gods, it couldn't be...oh _gods_ , they were. The most dangerous dual black spikes of stiletto-heeled boots he'd ever seen. Artemis was almost ashamed to find that he was responding to the outfit. It looked like something from a bad porno, but _damn_ , it was working.

This he took in for the first several seconds. Then his eyes drifted beyond, to where Lili sat with her legs tucked up to her body, like a true queen surveying her native lands (which he supposed strange men's bedrooms were to her...). She met his eyes with no hesitation, and her lips—painted the same soft pink as Holly's, and likely done deliberately, as it made Artemis think of alternative means by which they could have shared the shades—curved as she watched her superior officer slowly exposing her young man. When the sheet was down enough to reveal Artemis's undergarments, Lili laughed and clasped her hands before her mouth. “Oh! Good boy, Fowl! Boxers! It's the only way to go, really.”

Her voice finally seemed to snap Artemis from his shock. He backed away from Holly (if he'd had his wits about him, he would have taken the sheets with him, but instead exposed himself further) and looked about for some escape. Or the camera set up to record this cruel prank. “Holly, what are you _doing?_ ”

“Shh,” Holly urged, pouncing to keep up with her prey. She placed a firm hand on his chest, rolling her eyes a little as she felt the hammering heart and rapid breathing beneath. “Calm down, love. It's all right.” She straddled Artemis’s lap, keeping him pinned to the bed, her breasts almost smothering him as she drew closer.

“What is going _on_ , Holly?” Artemis snapped, momentarily immune to breasts.

“Well, it's like I said: Lili had an idea.” Holly lifted her hand to Artemis's neck, her nails scratching his thin skin carefully “She's been with a lot more people than me, so she knows a _lot_ about sex, so...she thought maybe she could tutor me.”

“ _Tutor?”_ Artemis shrilled. “If you want pointers, ask her to write them down, don't....” Artemis flailed about with one hand, not daring to describe what was going on, in the very slim chance he misunderstood Holly's apparent invitation for the Frond to join them in bed.

“Oh, no no no!” Lili protested, alarmed in much the same style as a fashion designer coming across a pair of shoes that just wont _do_. “How would I know when she's doing something wrong? No, this requires hands-on instruction.”

“Hands....” Artemis began, instantly petering out.

“Real-time, one-on-one,” Holly confirmed. Then she winked. “Or maybe one-on-two...or would it be two-on-one?”

Artemis flicked his eyes to his mate again. He knew this was one of the biggest fantasies of the average men. He also knew Holly had an extremely short temper and a killer right hook. “Holly...I....”

“Stop,” Holly chided, rubbing her palm along the slit in Artemis's boxers. “Aren't you supposed to be the one that enjoys learning?”

He was already hard, despite his fears, and Artemis barely had the resolve to feebly squirm away from the touch. It was such a simple caress, and he probably would have barely reacted on any other night, but this time a second pair of hungry eyes watched him, making him somehow doubly sensitive. Pure, glorious fire ignited in him, growing all the hotter as Holly stealthily worked Artemis's member free of his boxers, wrapping her thin fingers about the shaft, squeezing him to test rigidity.

She found things had advanced quite well, though she looked over her shoulder to consult with Lili. “He doesn't like hand-jobs that much.”

“What man does?” Lili asked rhetorically, shrugging. “And I don't teach them. Move on.”

“Yes, _Professor_ ,” Holly snarked, rearranging herself to move further down the bed, putting her head in alignment with what she held tightly in her fist.

“Oh shit,” Artemis said rather neutrally just before Holly stuck out her tongue and dragged it up the underside of his cock. He instantly closed his eyes, grabbing the pillows, savoring the warm wetness. _Heaven_.

A giggle from the foot of the bed.

_Hell._

Artemis went tense at the sound of Lili's laughter. He suddenly wanted to flee again, but lost the urge as another lick came, the tip of Holly's tongue flicking the head of his erection, making it jerk in her hand. She blew at the wet skin, sending a shiver down his spine. They were all little tricks he had experienced before, but never had Holly used them in such quick progression. She was displaying her every skill for the benefit of the watching Frond, proving herself worthy of even greater secrets.

“Do we really...oh, gods, right there... _I mean_ , do we have to do this with _her_ watching?” Artemis spat out, opening his eyes just enough to glare at Lili, who was watching the action with a detached interest. Or she was at least trying to give that impression. Artemis could see the slight flush to her cheeks, the quickening of her breathing, and, most telling of all, the hardening of her nipples under a tight black spaghetti-strap shirt, all informing him that she very much appreciate the sight of her two friends in sexual congress.

“Nothing ventured,” Holly said, interrupting herself with another long, flat-tongued lick, “nothing gained.”

Artemis growled. He knew where he wanted to venture at this exact moment, but the second female presence was hindering his plans. And there certainly had been nothing gained by her presence, except for a general feeling of unease. He needed to make her leave, and began trying with a glare and baring of his teeth, taking on feral aspects to appeal to her also very instinctive nature. “I don't appreciate you sitting there _judging_ me.”

“I'm not judging _you_.” Lili met Artemis's eyes, her brows raised, the left side of her face gaining a small smirk. The entire effect was dismissive, and she soon addressed Holly, terse. “ _Boss,_ you're forgetting his balls.”

Artemis choked. “She... _what?_ ”

Holly paused. Then shrugged. Tearing the boxers down with great speed, she completely exposed her lover, who was too shocked by what had been said to think of keeping the last of his clothes on. When the boxers were flung aside with due care—that is, none—the officer took a firm grip on his cock, pulling it up to expose his genitals in full. She trailed her tongue down...and down...and down.

An explosion. It was the most shocking, wonderful feeling Artemis had felt during oral sex since the first time Holly had serviced him. He knew, logically, that this feeling should be nowhere near as superb as the enveloping of his cock by warm, plaint lips, but the newness of Holly bathing his sack with her tongue made him moan and grow even harder than before.

“D...don't stop,” he whispered, hips rising, wishing there was some way to get both of his favorite sensations at once: mouth on cock and on balls.

One of Holly's hands hard risen to cradle his scrotum, nails oh-so-carefully scratching the skin, squeezing the balls within. Her other hand worked his cock in long strokes, focusing on the tip with tight, rapid, saliva-wet squeezes that made him gasp and try to squirm away from the ultimate sensitivity before the hand slid down again, tight and twisting slightly as it went.

Unheard by both parties, Lili watched, tapping at her collarbone with one hand, fingers moving in a rapid wave. Eventually, she nodded. “Good. Hand work is acceptable. Let me see you deep-throat, then.”

“See...what?” Artemis breathed, gaze fixed on his groin, not even looking at Lili, as if she were some disembodied spirit or a voice in his own head.

Holly lifted her head and positioned her mouth over Artemis's tip, holding his base firmly. She licked her lips. Then, opening her mouth wide, she lowered her head, at first not touching a single part of him, and then pressing his cock to the back of her throat. She pressed harder, mouth closing to swath his shaft with her lips. She pressed and pressed, a look of supreme concentration on her face, until her entire body jerked and she pulled back, gasping, eyes wide in alarm.

“That was _terrible,”_ Lili snapped.

Artemis wanted to tell her to shut the hell up and then beg Holly to do it again, because it had been _wonderful_. He'd never been so _deep_ , and he really should have felt bad for hitting his lady's gag reflex, but he could barely hold back enough to let her recover instead of shoving her mouth down on his cock again.

“Breath out, first,” lectured the blonde, gesturing at her neck and exhaling, the dip in her throat fluttering with the breath. “It opens up the throat and calms you. You're good at self control, so you can stand a few seconds without air.”

“My throat isn't wide enough,” Holly said, sullen. “It's not going to work.”

Artemis mourned.

“Oh, bull. You're just about the same build as me, and I do it all the time! You're just scared!”

Holly flared. No one nowadays dared question her bravery. No one but an uppity secretary. “I am not! It just...it can't be done!”

Lili leaned forward, getting in her supervisor's face. “Yes you are, and yes it can!”

“It can't!”

“Can!”

“Prove it!”

“Fine!”

Artemis was a modicum alarmed by the childish exchange, but that increased a thousand-fold as Lili turned and looked at him.

He had a mere second to respond.

He could not.

Lili shifted up the bed, snatched Artemis's member from Holly's hand, and plunged his length into her mouth. He felt a brush of air on his groin as she exhaled, and then he was sliding in. In and in and suddenly it was tight, then it was insanity. A pressure and he was through, tightness about his tip and an inch of shaft, with Lili's lips all the way down to his balls.

Holly watched, mouth open.

Lili turned her head just enough to look at her student, brows lowered and eyes narrowed, her point made. She held for a few seconds, and then pulled back, the release almost as intense as the taking. As Artemis gaped, restraining a whimper, Lili addressed her stunned student. “See,” she said. “Easy! Just calm down a bit and go for it.”

Holly's mouth remained open for a few more seconds. Then she scowled, eyes afire.

And licked her lips.

Artemis whimpered, cock bobbing.

Holly practically slurped him in, mouth _so_ wet, as if she'd been salivating the whole time her friend serviced her lover. Artemis felt himself nudge the back of her throat, and then the brush of air as she also exhaled. And a pause.

Then _tight_ , tighter even than Lili's throat, and the rough slide, her lips inching down, wetting his flesh to ease him in. Artemis could not look away. Despite her words to the contrary, Lili was definitely a little larger in the throat than Holly, and that translated to an even tighter fit. And less brain activity for Artemis.

Holly had closed her eyes, brows knitting in concentration, and it seemed to be working. He was deeper in her throat than he had ever been, and she wasn't gagging or pushing away, just moving along little by little.

He'd, once again, almost forgot Lili, but then she whispered, “Good, good,” placing her hand on the back of Holly's neck, stroking her soothingly. “Just relax.” She pressed down, and Holly did not resist, going deeper, faster, until her lips, like Lili's were brushing the base of Artemis's cock, and he thought time had stopped.

Holly's face was a little pale, full of focus, and then Lili's was right next to it, speaking softly in the major's ear. “Stick out your tongue.”

The slithering softness on the underside of Artemis's cock and the tiny tickle on his balls was almost too much. His hips jerked and he groaned, and Holly was pulling away, gasping for breath, tongue still hanging out.

“Excellent,” Lili praised. “A break is fine. Just don't leave him hanging.” She smirked, looking at Artemis. “It's rather pointless if he doesn't stay all worked up.” Lili's slightly paler hand joined Holly's, gripping higher on Artemis's member. Sliding up, way eased by the wetness of Holly's throat, squeezing Artemis's tip.

Artemis squirmed. Gasped. He wanted to tell the blonde to stop before Holly flew into a rage over her mate being handled by another, but then Holly's hand was moving, as well. Tight, short pumps on his base as Lili squeezed his tip, and they were looking at each other and _smiling_.

“Any further lessons, sensei?” Holly teased.

“Mmmm...not tonight...except...I need to make sure you can take it like a champ.”

Artemis's mouth went dry. “It?” What, exactly, was “it”?

“Mind helping me focus?”

“Of course,” Lili cooed. “You take top....”

“And you take bottom,” Holly concluded, and the women exchanged identical smiles.

Before Artemis could ask for an explanation, Lili's hand was gone, Holly's mouth replaceing it. She slid him in, within a second tapping to the back of her throat, but not yet swallowing, back up with a delicious friction, if reduced by the wetness of her lips and tongue, the latter of which stretched and contracted, it's slight roughness on his tip and the scar line of his circumcision sending little pleasurable itches up Artemis's scalp.

Lili watched Holly and nodded in approval. Then she gave Artemis a brief and terrible grin, and her head dropped. Soon, Artemis felt a wet rasp on his balls. And another. Lili bathed his testicles and the base of his cock, hands grasping one of his thighs, nails almost painful, then easing up, stroking to the joint of his leg, down past his balls.

The brush of her fingers on his premium was precisely timed to Holly's next move as, with another exhale, his member was forced deep down her throat.

“Shit,” Artemis said, hips rising, “I...I'm going to...Holly, _please!_ ”

But there was no need to beg. Holly let her tongue out for that tiny extra sensation and Lili stroked his premium, tongue also moving, mouth opening to suck in little bits of his flesh. Holly moaned about him, seemingly without explanation, and Lili laughed lightly in response. There were so many sensations, so close, but Artemis felt Holly's reaction and tried to discover the source. She was never one for theatrics. He stopped breathing entirely as he realized that the women’s tongues were not only servicing him, but playing with one another, tips flirting and stroking and getting just a little taste of male and female at once.

He came. Hard and fast, no more warning but those his body gave, balls tightening, cock momentarily growing harder. Then spilling straight down Holly's throat, his twitching matched by her swallows for a second or two. Holly was forced to pull back, breathing hard, mouth open. She caught most of his shots of cum with her open mouth, but her face took the rest, spunk hitting her cheeks and chin, her eyes closing just before being covered by the salty whiteness. She took slow, deep breaths, unable to focus, which left Lili to step in, grabbing and stroking Artemis's shaft, hard and quick.

She seemed to know his sensations even before they were felt, because her tongue left his balls right as they went unpleasantly sensitive, moving to his tip to lap delicately at the last dribbles from Artemis's slit. She held his shaft in two fingers, cleaning his length off. Finally, she let him go to suck on her fingers, never looking at him, as if Lili didn't even connect the salty fluid on her hands with the man groaning before her. “Well...that was rather impressive,” the princess praised Holly, sucking at the web between thumb and forefinger.

Holly laughed, wiping her eyes and opening them with some caution. “I didn't exactly take it like a champ....” She waved at her spunk-covered face.

“On the contrary,” Lili protested, studying Holly's face, reaching out to brush a dab of cum with her thumb. “Men love that. Seeing their women marked in any way.”

Artemis found that, yes, he couldn't stop looking at Holly's face, even when she rolled her eyes at his obvious fascination.

“And it's just a little cleanup,” Lili went on, leaning in. Her tongue came out once more to sweep up Holly's cheek, licking up a swath of cum.

Holly laughed, as if tickled, which wasn't precisely the reaction Artemis had expected. In return, she picked up Lili's hand, which still had some slickness, and took the pinkie into her mouth. She wrapped her lips about the base and dragged up, just the same as she had treated Artemis's member. Then the ring finger. Middle. And Lili was doing her own cleaning, moving from Holly's cheek to the corner of her mouth, and it seemed such a natural transition from sucking to licking to their tongues running over one another, mouths open, lips touching and then going into a kiss that was still so wide and tenuous that Artemis could watch as they went between broad strokes and barely touched tips and sucking one another's tongues. All while smiling, occasionally laughing, Lili's hands coming up to grasp at Holly's hips and pull her away from Artemis and to her own body.

Artemis nearly cried when they broke off and Lili looked at him, a brow quirked. She needed to repeat her order before Artemis even realized she was speaking Gnommish words.

“Move over, Fowl. It's your turn.”

“My...huh?” Artemis mumbled. He'd already _had_ his turn.

“If you let me keep going,” Lili chided, stroking Holly's hip, “she's going to lose it right here, and you won't learn anything.”

Artemis thought this terribly inaccurate. Of course he was learning something. Lesbians make _everything_ better.

“Move, Artemis,” Holly growled, eyes lidded, and he found himself complying, edging down the bed until he was sitting awkwardly behind Lili, who had gone back to ignoring him in favor of his own lover.

Or so he thought. “Now, girls start slow,” Lili said, and at first seemed to be just addressing the air. As she had gone back to kissing Holly, this time her neck and jawline, it took Artemis some time to realize he was the audience.

“Granted, Holly here is a bit...far along, after talking about this in the bar all night. Hmm...and sucking you off,” she said, as if the blow-job was a minor consideration. “So I don't have to be so...gradual...” Lili bit Holly's neck, making the woman's head fall back, mouth open in surprise. “But, in general, do take your time.”

A lesson. Artemis almost scowled. Lili Frond, LEP ditz, was trying to _teach_ him. However, his brief outrage dissipated as he watched the blonde drag her tongue up Holly's neck, tracing her parted lips, then to the side of the major's head to _just_ below her earlobe.

“And taking your time now can help later, for other sessions. If she knows what you can do, she'll think about it....” Lili's tongue flipped Holly's earlobe, earning a yelp. “Think and anticipate, so she's already halfway there when she's still at work, sometimes.”

“O-oh?” Artemis said, nearly squeaking as his gaze dropped and she saw that Lili's hand was gone from Holly's hip, now stroking the inside of her thighs, touch unhindered thanks to the short skirt, occasionally moving towards the woman's hidden vulva, making her body shake. “Does she...already anticipate you?”

“Hmm...maybe,” Lili whispered, brushing her nose up the curve of Holly's ear, her hand pinching the hem of Holly's skirt. “Maybe...there were some...difficult times in the Academy.” Lili's clever fingers pinched the fabric and moved it an inch down on the left. “Too busy to date...but so much... _physical_ work. It drove us insane. So...maybe....” Her hand shifted to lower the hem on the right side. And another trade and another, until Artemis saw just a little of a pair of bright green panties beyond. “Maybe we made things...easy for one another.”

Holly was smiling, head lifting just enough to give Artemis a look. A look that swept away all the hypotheticals about Lili's statement. Then the wickedness was banished as Lili sucked the tip of Holly's ear into her mouth, the skirt low her boss's hips and the princess's hand playing with the line of Holly panties. “Gods! Lili....”

Lili's fingers slipped under the elastic band of Holly's bikini underwear, and when they came out again, there was a definite sheen, which she studied, already smirking so much from her lecture that she couldn't gain any wider a grin to show her additional approval. “See? She's already wanting it.” Lili kissed Holly's ear, nuzzling her cheek. “You are _so_ easy, boss.”

Holly was obviously about to say something—something no doubt sarcastic or abusive—but Lili put her hand back down, palm cupped to Holly's vulva, fingers disappearing into the major's panties once more, and Holly was squeaking and lifting her hips, hands tearing the delicate bedsheets.

“Make sure you can see, Fowl,” Lili advised, pressing her other hand to Holly's collarbone, guiding her, laying her down on the pillows. “It's not a porno. This is a lecture.”

Artemis no longer felt insulted by this fact. He mutely followed orders, shifting to sit at Holly's side as Lili hovered over her body, back to running her tongue along the woman's neck, hand leaving her vulva, replaced by the blonde's pressing knee.

“Sometimes you are forced to leave the good parts behind,” Lili said, pausing to suck at Holly's collarbone. “Always give her some friction. Keep her going. Girls are good at multitasking, so as many pleasure points as you can manage, give them to her.” She illustrated by snaking one hand up Holly's shirt, another down to grab the woman’s buttocks, and soon Holly didn't know where to writhe, back arching between the touch at her breast and vulva. She made impatient noises, gasps, whines, but Lili just kept on, slow. “Men, you can turn on and off, no problem, but girls...we'll worry if we think we're winding down, and that just makes it harder for you. So don't let her cool down. Slow rise. Constant touching.”

“Please,” Holly was saying, eyes closed. “Tongue. Please.”

Lili smiled. “And be willing to follow requests, sometimes” She lifted the front of Holly's shirt, revealing breasts unhindered by a bra, extra soft and pliant from their lengthy freedom. Lili turned just enough to look at Artemis as she lowered her head, tongue out and pointed. She began to lick Holly's nipple with just the tip.

More whines, near cries, and Artemis wasn't sure if he should grit his teeth against a surge in jealous feelings or grasp his cock and work towards a second release while he watched. He'd just about settled on the latter, hand venturing down, when Lili frowned and ceased her licking.

“Oh, no way, Fowl. You've got duties. We'll be needing that.”

And her forbidding it just made the desire worse, but the idea of putting himself to these women’s use was enough to stay his hand, though he felt more than one painful throb as he continued watching.

“Mmm...good. Now. Erogenous ones. Obvious ones: ears, breasts, pussy. Essentials, of course. But if you really want to wow Holly, you'd better find her secondaries. I'll leave most of them to you, but, for example....” Lili moved down the bed, her hip brushing Artemis's as she went, his half-hard cock twitch in interest.

Holly propped herself up to watch, rapid breaths making her breasts shake, the shirt still only half off.

“Missed this?” Lili asked and, before Holly could get more than halfway through a nod, she nipped at the last ridge of Holly's ribcage

She squeaked. Squeaked and involuntarily parted her legs, then squeaked again at the next nip. Then it was all moans and tiny mewls as Lili bit and sucked _just_ the left rib, which seemed in no way different from the ignored right. The abuse continued until Holly was panting for breath. Lili seemed to pause to allow some relief, but instead grabbed the bottom hem of Holly's skirt, pulling down.

As the material came away from Holly's vulva, she seemed to sigh in relief. Even a few feet away, Artemis could see the dark blue stain at the crotch of the panties where the new dark denim of the skirt had pressed to her wetness. Lili tsked at the sight of the ruined lingerie, reaching out to touch the mark.

“Ah! Ar...aaaaahhhhh...” Holly shook her head, biting her lip.

The Frond laughed. “I think she almost called your name, Fowl.”

“She's grown accustomed to doing so,” Artemis drawled, giving Lili a heated look.

“Or she just likes to scream,” the woman challenged.

“That too,” Artemis chuckled, letting the argument end.

Holly seemed intent to ignore their tiff, but got back to reacting when Lili moved the crotch of the panties aside and began to play with her slit.

“Questions are good,” Lili said, still sounding half-detached from what she was doing to this woman. “Very good. Sometimes a girl wants it smooth and wet, but other times maybe rough, hard, painful. What do you want, this time, Holly?”

“Wet!” The major said at once, as if she'd been waiting

“Added benefit,” Lili chirruped, looking at Artemis, “is that a _little_ dirty talk is always appreciated. But do make sure to ask before you tell your girl that she has a slutty little pussy.” Lili looked back to Holly. “Though she does....”

Holly bit her lip, blushing just as she whimpered at the playful yet domineering words.

Artemis swallowed. He would have never dared to say such a word to his mate, but was it something she actually craved? Not a complete debasement, but simply sounds to remind her of what they were doing?

“So, in this case, you'd tickle. Play. Be _gentle_.” Lili instructed, her fingers playing on her coworkers slit, gently parting the folds, tracing through the dampness, avoiding that all-important pearl until she said, “And, of course, the _clit._ ”

He could tell that Lili's touch was light, barely moving the shining pink nub, but Holly reacted as loudly as she had during their hardest fucking.

Lili smirked, leaning in to whisper in Holly's ear. “Does he touch you like this, boss?”

Holly clamped down on her lower lip and a very audible keen came from deep in her throat.

Tutting, Lili spread Holly's pussy wider. “Yes or no, please. Does he touch you like _this?”_

Artemis's eyes widened as, at the last word, Lili sunk her middle finger into Holly, twisting gently until her palm faced up. He could see the shift of tendons in her wrist as the woman flexed the finger, making Holly's hips rise up off the bed.

Suddenly, violently, Holly shook “no.”

With a harsh laugh, the woman turned a smug look on a very offended mate. “What's he like?”

“Fu...fucks hard,” Holly groaned, hands rising to grasp the iron headboard. “So hard...s'good.” The last was high-pitched, whether in apology to Artemis or a reaction to some internal manipulation was uncertain.

“Hard _is_ good,” Lili agreed, giving Artemis a most patronizing look. “It is certainly _my_ preference, but you preferred it slow, it the Academy.” She gave a stroke to the major's clit. “A sloooow,” another stroke, her thumb rolling the nub around in an endless circle, “buildup.”

Holly was shaking. Gasping. Her face shone with sweat. “G...gods, Lili....”

Artemis felt a heart-stopping lurch in his chest as his mate moaned another's name.

“You're going to give him a complex,” Lili warned, bending her head down. “Never thought him the jealous type.”

Artemis thought this an unfair assessment. Jealousy while watching someone else pleasure your lover, rather than just suspecting it was happening, seemed entirely within reason. Gods, just _seeing_ Holly prop herself up to watch Lili was....

Artemis's cock throbbed again.

“Don't worry,” Lili teased, looking at Artemis. “I'll always ask your permission first, Fowl.” She bit her lower lip, almost demure. Coquettish, though she couldn't manage any sort of innocent flush. “So...can I lick your mate's pussy?”

His tongue was far too thick and clumsy to answer. Artemis look at Lili. Then to Holly...or, more accurately, to Lili's fingers slowly pumping into his lady, everything so wet and red, her clitoris engorged and moving under Lili's thumb.

He nodded.

Lili giggled, turning to Holly. “Do you hear that? He'll let me!”

“Unh...please,” Holly whined, paying no attention to the exchange.

“Of course,” the princess whispered, shifting to lay down and finally, _finally_ Lili nestled her mouth between Holly's legs and delicately traced the tip of her tongue up the major's slit.

Holly's breasts shook with each gasping breath, though Artemis mostly ignored _them_ , preferring to memorize every moment of Lili's tongue carefully avoiding his mate's clitoris, the princess's fingers spreading Holly's lips wider so she could lathe at the inner labia, her tongue barely thrusting into the woman's opening. He loved doing the same himself, but seeing another, and a _woman_ , doing it....

And then, Lili stopped, looking up at Artemis, her lips shining. “Sorry. Got a little carried away. She tastes good.”

Artemis was going to wave her off, give his go-ahead, but Lili sat up and turned, leaning into him, and Artemis couldn't think as he felt her long nails scratch the back of his neck, her breasts brushing his chest, her breath on his lips.

“Come on,” she whispered. “Show me what you can do.”

Then she fell back, dragging Artemis down with her.

His arms flailed as he fell, and Artemis barely organized them in time to prop himself up, instead of falling onto a cushion of naked woman.

He almost laughed in relief as he felt the cotton skirt on his cock-head. Yes! Lili was still clothed, of course! It was okay!

But that didn't matter much when the princess rolled her hips up into his, her shirt skirt doing _nothing_ to keep his cock from slipping between her thighs.

He was more than a little petrified.

Lili looked up at him, still playing her sharp nails on his nape. She laughed, deeper than seemed possible for the entirely feminine elf. “While I'm very curious about that cock of yours,” she purred, squeezing her thighs together, sending Artemis's trapped member twitching, “the lesson is _not_ over.” Pushing Artemis's shoulder, she forced him off, landing this time between Holly's legs.

Artemis found himself looking up at his mate with the most sorrowful, shame-filled eyes “H-Holly, I didn't—”

“D'arvit, _lick_ me!” Major Short snarled, putting her hand to the back of Artemis's head and pushing down.

Arguing seemed a bad idea, so Artemis complied.

He was only a few licks in when Lili huffed. “No, no! Weren't you listening!?” She batted Holly's hands away, grabbing Artemis's hair and pulling him up just enough to halt his work.

“Lili, no!” Holly whined, reaching for Artemis again. It did a bit to sooth his abused ego, at lest.

Seeing the hands approaching, Lili let Artemis go, grabbing Holly's wrists, moving to straddle Holly's chest so she could put her entire body weight behind holding Holly's hands to the pillows at the side of her head. “No!” she shouted, in a tone Artemis was more likely to associate with dog training than with an old lover. “No, Holly. He has to lick your pussy _right!_ ”

“P-please,” Holly whined, squirming. “I want...I want....”

Lili looked down, down past her stomach and between her legs, peeking at Artemis's face from between her thighs. “Unreasonable demands. She's like this at work, too. Shall I silence her?”

Artemis—still about two inches from one pussy and now about a foot from another—was smooth enough to just raise a brow.

Lili grinned and—while Holly was in the middle of once more begging _please—_ she turned to the major and locked their lips together.

Artemis was given about ten seconds to shift his view and watch the women as they shared slow, open-mouthed, wandering tongued kisses, their breasts pressed together. Then, panting, Lili broke the kiss and glared back at him. “ _Lick her_ or get out of the way so we can rub off!”

Artemis had never heard this term before, but with his face to both women’s pussies, he figured it out easily enough. He considered just sitting back so they _would_.

Lili's growl of “ _now”_ told him which was the proper response, though, so he sunk his head back down and followed instructions. Tongue slow. Broad and wet. Not spending all his time on his mate's clit, but wandering. Treating her like a dessert that was almost too rich to eat. He used one hand to hold Holly's labia apart, tongue running across her entrance, never going in, taking his time before extending the licks all the way up to finally tickle her clit.

“Mmph!” Holly struggled, hips rolling. “Mmmmmph!”

“Fingers,” Lili gasped on behalf of the other woman, stopping their kiss and releasing Holly just long enough to grasp the bottom of her own shirt, peeling it off to reveal that she, like her companion, had spent the night bra-less When they went back to work on one another's mouths, it was with the addition of their bared breasts pressed tight together, only getting a little distance when Lili decided it was safe enough to leave Holly's hands free and they began to squeeze and stroke breasts and hips and ears.

Artemis, after a moment's pause—though admirably still licking instead of just freezing up and jizzing all over the bed at the sight—nodded, but he didn't sink his fingers into Holly right away. He stroked her thighs, traced the crease between leg and hip. Pinched her labia, making his mate squeak, which brought an approving chuckle from Lili.

Then he stopped licking Holly so he could suck on his fingers, making them slick.

Holly's whine increased at the loss, her head tossing back and forth until she escaped Lili's mouth. “N-no! Please, Artemis!”

He rumbled deep in his chest. _Yes_. The right name. As a reward, he pressed a kiss to Holly's clit and touched his fingers to her entrance, palm up, pushing in slow.

“No,” Holly gasped again, turning her head to avoid Lili's questing lips. “ _Clit_. So close. I'm gonna...I....”

“Oh, I've got this,” Lili purred, confusing Artemis for just a moment.

She shifted down Holly's body, her back straightening out, and then it was just her hips moving, legs parting, hand coming down to move the damp pink panties formerly hidden by her skirt aside until the two women were hip-to-hip, their vulvas pressed together. Both had their legs spread _so_ wide, their labia opening from the stretch, _wide_ open so Artemis could see deep into them, wet, red, and mysterious entrances and small, pink clits pressed together.

He watched, mouth open, hand moving on it's own by now, gently fucking Holly as he watched the women rub against each other. Their breathing was speeding up and Holly was gasping, whispering Lili's name and his, as well. Lili laughed around a kiss, her tongue tripping out to play with Holly's mouth, her hand attending to the redhead's breasts. Holly returned the favor by defying all previous lessons about tenderness—a move undoubtedly chosen from their previous experiences—and twisting and tugging the secretary’s nipples.

“Lick,” Holly gasped between Lili's teasing kisses.

Artemis considered this. He was going to have to be _very_ careful. Still, he moved his mouth closer, head swimming from the scent of two females, both so wet, so close. He’d just begun lapping about his fingers when Holly spoke again.

“Lick _us_ ,” she whispered.

His tongue froze, as did the rest of his body. Exactly at his eye level, he saw Holly and Lili's mingled pussies. Objectively, not a particularly pretty sight, but it was making his balls ache, knowing what the women were doing. And, now, what they wanted _him_ to do....

“Please,” came a third whisper.

Artemis's ears burned and he stopped licking Holly entirely, mouth dropping open.

“Pleeeeeease,” Lili repeated, rolling her hips into Holly's. “Lick my pussy, Fowl.”

Well, then...no sense in arguing....

He didn't dive right in. He was a smart man. He'd been given lessons. Artemis watched their rubbing clits, waiting, calculating, seeing the perfect opportunity and slipping his tongue between

They were _so_ soft, but he still nearly got crushed between for his trouble as both women gasped, hips jerking together. Holly's cries in particular doubled, and he went swiftly back to work, deciding that getting between them was the wrong tactic, instead flicking his tongue up and down, transferring between their two so-similar and yet utterly unique slits. Lili had a bit less musk, wasn't quite as wet, and she was _completely_ shaved, letting Artemis's tongue move so very quickly. He teased her entrance and, when her cries nearly reached Holly's in volume, he put his free hand on Lili's ass, squeezing, curving his his thumb down to tentatively play with the princess's hole.

Dear _gods_ , they were both saying his name. Moaning it into one another's mouths. Crying out louder in turns corresponding to which woman he serviced. He wondered if he could focus on Lili just long enough to get her as close as Holly without his mate growing frustrated, but just as he had this thought, Holly tensed and Lili responded with a harsh laugh and an almost violent bucking of her hips. The blonde knew his mate almost as well as he.

A second later, he felt Holly tighten rhythmically around his fingers, and her voice came back, hoarse, alternating names.

He abandoned Lili's pussy to attack his mate's. Artemis felt a little bad for that, but the magnanimous royal just went on thrusting against Holly, pushing her through a long, loud orgasm, assisted by Artemis's tongue, which was no longer gentle. He couldn't quite get to Holly's clit, so he licked everywhere else, pumping his fingers deep, tips curled up to caress her g-spot. It was a good minute before he felt the contractions in Holly's vagina becoming weaker, corresponding to mere gasped words instead of full screams. The two elves worked carefully to keep the third's pleasure going as long as possible, and it was truly exhausting work.

Eventually, thought, it was obvious that no more could be done. Lili groaned in disappointment, slowing her hips to ease Holly's over-sensitive clit. Artemis back off as well, gasping. Before laying with Holly, he had not expected sex—and even cunnilingus—to be so energy-draining. He was almost glad his part was done, sitting on the backs of his legs to let his cock go back on display. There was a wet spot from where he’d rested, his precum having flowed freely while he tasted the two women. Now it beaded up again as he anticipated their return to the night's first lessons. Perhaps Holly would allow Lili to give a full demonstration, so he could empty his balls deep down the princess's throat.

Of course, there would have to be negotiations, first, and he left that entirely in Holly's hands.

“So....” the major huffed, nearly normal, head tilting to the side, lips twitching.

Artemis's ears itched. Terribly.

Lili also cocked her head. “My fee?”

Holly looked past Lili to her young lover. “I think that just about works.”

Lili craned her head about, eyes darting up and down Artemis's body, lingering very obviously on his member. “Just about,” she agreed, sitting up, gasping as her vulva had one last slide against Holly's.

Holly sat up as well, only using her abdominal muscles to keep herself upright. It was an impressive display of strength that Artemis could never hope to match, and it left her hands free to grip Artemis's ankles.

Which allowed Lili to back up until her pussy dragged along the man's cock, his little beading of precum joining her thorough wetness

Artemis watched it all, feeling as if the world was in slow motion. Like he was watching a bullet approaching, instead of a shaved, half-naked princess. He wasn't entirely sure which was worse for his health. “H-Holly, what—”

“It's _very_ rude,” Lili growled, pressing her vulva into Artemis's pelvis, his cock sliding up between her lips and under her thong, resting against her clit, where she reached down to stroke it's underside and his balls, “to say someone else's name while fucking.”

His mouth made the shape of “fuck,” but what came out was more along the lines of “feeeeeeeeck.”

Lili laughed, and it made her body shake just enough to minutely jerk at Artemis's cock, which twitched in response. “Aw...Holly, he sounds so _Irish!_ I think it's a defense mechanism.”

“It is,” Holly grinned. “Why else do you think I've got a grip on him?”

Lili looked down at Artemis's restrained ankles and hummed contemplatively. “That's not going to work. He needs to fuck me back. That was the deal.”

“Deal?” Artemis squawked

Holly considered this and _glared_ at her mate.

He swallowed, silenced.

After some hesitation, the major slowly uncurled her fingers.

Artemis's failure to move was less about obedience and more fear that any shift would spur Lili to shift and take things further.

The fact that the princess's pussy felt _fantastic_ had absolutely nothing to do with his delayed escape.

Holly shifted to her hands and knees, crawling up the bed until she could sit up, her chest pressed to Lili's. They looked at one another, faces so very close, and grinned. Then Holly placed her hands on Lili's waist and rested her chin on the woman's shoulder, looking past her to Artemis. She spoke to him, very, very, soothingly. “It's her payment for lessons. I am going to touch her. Lick her. All over. Artemis....”

His mouth was dry. His stomach clenched. And his balls throbbed, screaming at him to mate this new, unclaimed, supple female.

Holly saw it in his eyes, and she smirked. “Fuck her, Artemis.”

There was a thick fog in his mind, and he could have never worked through it all on his own and got to business, despite how his desire to take advantage of the orders.

Luckily, Lili was more proactive, moving at Holly's harsh words. Her hips rocked forward, slipping up Artemis's cock until his tip rested at her entrance.

It was then that instinct took over and Artemis clasped his hands on top of Holly's at Lili's waist, pulling the princess onto him as Holly matched his move with a push.

Lili's pussy-lips parted before his cockhead just...so beautifully, and she felt as good as she looked. She was _wet_ , so ready, no hesitation or drag of dry skin as he sunk right down until he was balls deep, their groans surprisingly similar in pitch.

“Lili,” Holly huffed, shifting to press her entire body against the other woman's, hands coming around to grip her ass, leaving Artemis to steady her waist. “How do you like my mate's cock?” Apparently, she had no intention of getting an unbiased answer, as she squeezed Lili's ass tight and pulled her off her lover before swiftly spearing the woman again.

Artemis kept his grip and just watched as Holly moved against Lili, as if she were the one fucking the princess, merely using his dick as a tool. He was somewhat detached to the sensations—a good thing, as he undoubtedly could have finished far too quickly—instead memorizing everything the women did.

Holly, biting Lili's neck. Lili reaching up and grasping Holly's breasts, rolling them in her palms. Both women bringing their open mouths together, enjoying their playful, tenuous kisses and touching of tongues, then craning their heads to the side so they could lick at one another's earlobes, producing sharp, breathless cries.

It took some time for Holly to take herself out of the moment long enough to talk. “Ah...Artemis....”

“Yes?” He growled, feeling so powerful, watching the two women find pleasure before him, from him. Perhaps he should have felt used—he was really just a breathing dildo, at the moment—but he'd never been one to consider himself a victim.

“Will you _fuck her_ , already?” Holly whined “I need to lick her”

Lili moaned incoherently, moving her own hips on Artemis's cock, apparently trying to convince the major that she was being adequately bred. This, though, was not significant proof for Holly, who glared at her lazy mate.

Artemis looked back at Holly...and showed just a little teeth.

Lili was just beginning to lift off Artemis's cock when he yanked her back down, almost hurting himself as her firm ass bumped into his stomach. It was worth it for her shriek. His name. Lili Frond had called _his_ name. Holly did so often enough, but she'd spent over a decade away from a man before accepting him. Lili, party princess, had plenty to compare him to, and he was making her moan and say his name without being bidden.

Holly had told him to fuck the princess. He was damned well going to do it.

His hands left Lili's waist, taking away some of his ability to thrust, but he shifted them up, one grabbing her shoulder to force the blonde down, his hips snapping up to make up for the leverage. His other hand dug into Lili's hair and clenched, fisting and pulling on the silky strands, earning a shocked cry. Rather than letting up, Artemis pulled Lili's hair until her back arched and her head came close enough for him to access her ear.

He began sucking it, slowly but thoroughly, from the pointy tip down nearly to the earlobe, his tongue working inside his mouth to trace the shape. He could feel Lili's pussy gently pulsing on his cock as he slid in and out, enjoying the drag and press of her on his every inch. The only thing better than her teased entrance was the tightness of her at his very base, her labia giving his balls the tiniest caress.

Holly watched this all, breathing heavily at her mate fucking her old lover. For a while, she just let him show off, and he acquitted himself well. Artemis was a commanding lover. He grabbed hard, thrust deep, and was just so damned smug while he used you. The idea that he might fail to please a lady never entered his head, and that confidence was just so _hot_.

Lili had a bit more experience, though, so she was perhaps less impressed than Holly had been. Enjoying the fucking, yes, but not distracted from what was _supposed_ to be happening. She opened her eyes a slit and did her best to focus on Holly. “Please. You _owe_ me.”

And Holly laughed. Indeed, she owed the woman for teaching Artemis and herself, and for that great, full-body orgasm. Lili deserved the same.

So, instead of studying their coupling, she began to sink down Lili's body, kissing her neck, her collarbone, the swell of her breasts, then biting the woman's nipples, making her shriek. Artemis's sudden gasp and his sudden freeze showed that he felt the pleasant results, having to keep himself still to stay in check. This gave Holly a chance to continue her work without focusing on his rhythm, and to do so more gently. She flicker her tongue on Lili's left nipple until it was quite hard, then pinched it with her fingers while her mouth switched to work on the right. Once both nipples were prepared, she moved randomly, licking or sucking or nipping as the whim came.

“N-nooooo,” Lili whined, putting her hands to the top of Holly's head. “Stooooop.” She pressed down, dislodging Holly from her breasts and shoving her down until the major scented thick arousal and the tiniest scent of cum from Artemis's earlier orgasm. She'd though she'd caught almost all of it in her mouth, but some had apparently dribbled onto his balls.

“Lick,” Lili rasped.

“What are you?” Holly grumbled. “Damned queen?”

“Shut up!” Lili snapped, shoving until Holly's mouth was right on her pussy, right next to where her vagina and Artemis's cock were sliding together.

Holly had to just watch this for a bit. It was fascinating. Porn could not do this sight justice, though perhaps the participating parties had a lot to do with that. Lili's skin stretched to accommodate her mate's cock, her entrance squeezing his hard member slightly as it worked its way in, the wetness covering his dick when he came back out. She'd made each of these elves cry in ecstasy, seen them up close individually, and now they were learning one another.

“She's _impatient_ ” Artemis warned around his mouthful of Lili's ear, venturing a slow, deep thrust.

“It's a major flaw of hers,” Holly agreed, then slid her tongue out and all the way across Lili's slit, from the bit of tough skin near her anus all the way to her prominent clitoris, which she bathed in broad strokes.

“ _Gods_ ,” Artemis cried, tightening his grip on Lili's shoulder until his knuckles whitened and blue sparks flashed under his nails “She just...got... _tighter._ ” Though the difference must not have been so great, his breath grew far more labored, his thrusts slower, eyes nearly shutting in concentration. Not all the way, though, as he finally surrendered Lili's ear so he could shift his head to rest his chin on the lieutenant's shoulder, looking down at a red-head buried between the legs of the blonde creature he fucked.

Lili also looked at Holly's face, though she enjoyed a vastly superior point of view. “S...suck it,” she pleaded. “Suck my clit.”

Artemis couldn't _see_ the act, but he sure _felt_ it when Holly complied. Felt Lili's pussy suddenly begin spasming, her hips rolling counter to the slow rhythm he was trying to maintain.

“N-no,” he gasped, clenching his eyes shut, thinking of math, science, fucking _crunch-ball_ , anything to keep his finish at bay. “I'm too close. Stop—”

“Do it,” Lili wailed, rocking back hard. “I want it!”

“No,” he hissed, feeling his balls tightening. “You need to fi—”

“Now, dammit,” Lili howled, reaching back and grabbing Artemis's hair, using it to pull him back to her ear, her other hand likewise pressing Holly's head into her pussy.

“B-but,” Artemis tried, the brush of his lips on Lili's ears sparking another sharp internal clench.

“Do it, Artemis,” Holly snapped. “She's a fucking cum-slut!”

“S-she...what?” Artemis croaked, again looking down Lili's body, between her beasts to Holly's scowling face.

“Ugh...ass,” Holly snapped and got back to her licking. Though, this time, instead of servicing Lili, she gave just a few...small...licks to Artemis's tender balls.

“Holly, s-staaaaaah!” Too late. A clench, a fire in his gut, and he was gone. Tension left him, and he was fluid and mindless. The instinct to thrust, to leave his cum as deep in the princess as possible overtaking every reservation and worry about not satisfying her.

A moment later, he realized he needn't have worried.

Lili's back took on an almost painful arch, her breasts thrust out, body aligned to merely take Artemis's cock and cum, and the spasming of her pussy resolved into one hard, almost painful clench, followed by an ear-splitting cry.

He snarled, pure beast, and bit Lili's ear, getting a louder cry in response.

“Lili,” Artemis growled. “Lili. Lili!”

She cried back to him, “Artemis! Artemis! Artemis....”

“Artemis!” Holly shouted.

The man's entire body jerked, the world coming into terrible, sharp focus.

Holly looked down at her lover from the end of the bed where she crouched. Or she tried to look. Her eyes were half-lidded and wandering, sometimes independent of one another. Her body—clothed in a tight green shirt and even tighter brown jeans—swayed side to side, the visible muscles in her forearms twitching as she tried to stabilize herself, but not doing so well, based on the few times she seemed to almost toppled off the bed. Even from the feet of the bed, Artemis could smell something fruity and of a _very_ high proof.

“Hi-iiiiiii,” Holly flirted, crawling up the bed until she nuzzled into Artemis's neck.

“Hi,” he squeaked. Think. Thinkthinkthink. Not good. Very not good. He was working the events out, catching up, and he knew that things were _very_ not good. “H...Holly?”

“Mmmm?” She ventured for her lover's ear, but he craned his neck back to remain free, and she grumbled, giving up rather quickly.

Artemis swallowed down fear. “Was I...talking...in my sleep?”

Holly paused for one...terrifying...minute.

Then whined, “I'unno,” and began placing slathering kisses on Artemis's neck. “Fuck meeeeee,” she demanded.

Artemis nodded and...found he was incapable. A little shifting of his hips made his limp member slide through something quite slick in his boxers, informing him of the reasons.

“Give iiiiit,” Holly said, snaking her hands under the blankets.

Artemis thought _fast_. Grabbing Holly's waist and taking advantage of her lack of coordination, he tumbled his mate onto her back and got to work on a long, thorough review of his lessons.

############33

The only person more exhausted than Holly the next day was Artemis. It certainly showed in his work—three typos!—and Foaly made no efforts to hide his disgust So, only two hours in, he put his hoof down and told Artemis to go rent a nap pod downtown.

Artemis was just loyal enough to stagger up to Holly's office, opening the door to find Holly...and Lili.

Images flashed across his mind's eye. Blonde and auburn hair pressed together, over quaking breasts, between toned legs, on throbbing cock—

He coughed and made his face go blank.

Holly looked up and Artemis winced at the dark circles under her eyes. Lili also looked and, after a pause, snorted, going back to her review of paperwork.

“I've reserved a nap pod,” Artemis said. “Room for two?” He tilted his head in question.

Holly's body slumped. “Yeeeees,” she moaned, more heart-felt than anything she'd said last night. Turning to her secretary, she pleaded, “Hold down the fort?”

The princess—in perfect make-up, immaculate dress, and with the brightest of eyes—saluted with her digi-pen.

Smiling at Lili first, Holly turned to Artemis and held up a finger before dashing off to her office proper.

The door closed behind her.

Silence. Utter silence.

For about five seconds.

“So...was I any good? Lili said, flicking through documents on her data tablet.

Artemis stared. “...Pardon?"

“In your dreams.” Lili lifted her eyes just enough to look Artemis full in the face. “Was I any good?”

His mouth went dry.

“I thought so,” Lili drawled, going back to her work.

Artemis was about a quarter of the way to a response when Holly left her office, swinging on a jacket and grabbing her mate's arm.

He was pulled off balance in her wake, keeping his eyes on Lili just long enough for her to lift a hand and wiggle her fingers in farewell.


End file.
